That's part of the uproar. For me, it's also about the lack of respect and civility towards a captive passenger. Airlines like United simply treat people like cattle.
Criminals get better treatment out on the streets, even though doing mayhem and assaults. Criminals are given negotiations to surrender peacefully. This passenger was a regular paying person, not a criminal terrorist. He was shown no respect and was not allowed to plead his case for staying on board. If they can do this to him, they could up the ante and do worse to the rest of us later. We are not cattle to be abused.
LOL! I’d be thrilled to be treated as well as cattle as long as I wasn’t taken to the meat packing plant. If only I could stand up in a trailer for the trip instead of having to be seated in coach....