United Airlines Passenger Was Violent in Removal, Police Report Says

The New York Times ^ | April 25, 2017 | Jonah Engel Bromwich

[SarahPalin2012]

Newly released police documents claim that Dr. David Dao, the passenger who was shown being dragged off a United Airlines flight on April 9 in widely shared videos, behaved violently toward the officers removing him, but his lawyer dismissed this account as “utter nonsense.”

The phone videos taken by other passengers set off waves of criticism and multiple statements from the airline, each more apologetic than the last.

The police reports were released Monday afternoon in response to a freedom of information request filed by The New York Times and other news organizations. The releases included audio of the original call to the Chicago Department of Aviation police, personnel reports about the officers and an incident report that appeared to blame Dr. Dao for his own injuries.

[Fantasywriter]

For more likely is that Dao wanted and needed to get home at the agreed upon time. That fits all the facts of the situation far better than the scam scenario.

The only reason Dao is looking at a big payday is because he was seriously injured. To suggest that he wanted to be injured, or could have foreseen it, is stupid at best.

[SecAmndmt]

plenty of authoritarians in this forum

[Fantasywriter]

For = Far

[Reno89519]

And we’re to believe the airport police?! How violent is Dr. Dao when he is dragged bleeding AND unconscious from the plane? Police suspended? They should be fired and charged with assault. And filing false reports from the sounds of it. I’m sorry, the videos shine sunshine on the whole matter and show the lies that these police are trying to offer.

[Reno89519]

I am still waiting to hear that they have been charged with assault. They should be.

United already apologized and said Dr. Dao is innocent, the victim, and that this should not have happened.

They already compensated the other passengers.

The CEO lost his promotion, likely will be gone in days or weeks.

Several times, including today, United has announced changes to prevent a recurrence of the assault on Dr. Dao.

Aside from the assault charges against the airport police, the only thing left to clear up is who and why people are trying to destroy the victim, Dr. Dao. Shame on them.

[vette6387]

“There is video before that footage that apparently show him being violent and injuring a police officer.”

So where is it? Inquiring minds want to know the “whole story!” Dao’s lawyer is completely discounting the cops statement. From what I saw, the Airport cops were dressed and acted like thugs who were enjoying what they were doing.

[vette6387]

Yeah, but if United had followed your first comment, the second would have not been necessary. Somehow, “customer service” means something a whole lot different to the airlines than it does to every other business. The have always put on this layer of bull$hit about “the friendly skies,” but the way they’ve always treated their paying customers is completely different. The lone exception in my air travel experiences has been Southwest. They are a gem amongst a bunch of lumps of coal.

[vette6387]

And to cops, who are hammers, every citizen looks like a nail!

[vette6387]

She will be a defense witness, and here testimony will be devastating for UAL. If United knows what’s good for it, they will settle and get a non-disclosure agreement so that Dao can’t do them any more damage.

[vette6387]

“If I ask you to leave my house and you nicely stand there and politely refuse to leave that is belligerence.”

Dao wasn’t a guest, he was a paying customer. If you had “rented” Dao your house and you tried to kick him out, he’d end up owning it. Really, really poor analogy!

[Clearly Right]

Those airport security guard stormtroopers of Rahm "Rahmbo" Emanuel ("Sanctuary-City-Slim" ) roughed up that old man with impunity, in front of all those witnesses on the plane, and United Airlines has admitted their brutal behavior was highly inappropriate. God only knows what they did to him when no one else was looking, and the cameras weren't recording it.

It is a well known fact that when bad cops inflict physical damage on a person, and leave them battered and bloodied, their dishonest report usually contains references to significant "resistance" and "violence" from the person they pulverized, and that is why "they had to do what they did to him", and "bad security guards" have been known to do that too.

Even Rahm Emanuel's airport security guards do not have unlimited authority to do anything they want to do. They have many legal restrictions on the actions and reactions they are permitted to engage in when "subduing" an elderly flyer.

I am amazed at some of the reactions I've been seeing from FReepers, who seem to think they should always give meek, submissive assent to the authorities, whether those authorities are right or wrong. (I am not calling for violence here in a case like this, just resistance, but I don't see any evidence at all of violence on the part of Dao, just resistance.)

Can you imagine if our founding fathers wussed out like that, and listened to and meekly obeyed "the authorities" at the time, who seriously abused their authority? Instead, the founding fathers said, "When in the course of human events...", and rebelled strongly against the unjust tyranny of "the authority" at that time.

However, there was at least one guy back then who felt it was more important to completely obey the abusive authority. It was Benedict Arnold, and the authority at that time was England's King George III. Benedict Arnold totally sided with that abusive authority, King George III, just like some people here are siding with Rahm's lawless thugs.

  

Benedict Arnold "Always obey the authority."	King George III The Authority
Rahm Supporter 1	Rahm Supporter 2

Thank God George Washington and his buddies were not wussy traitors like that, and that they stood up boldly for their rights. Americans should always defend their rights.

Have a good night.

[Ken H]

This is interesting. From Airguide Online =>

___________________________________________________________________

Officer Mauricio Rodriguez Jr. wrote in his report that Long “assisted the subject by using minimal but necessary (sic) force to remove the subject.”

Interestingly, both Rodriguez and Officer Steven Smith prefaced their reports by saying they were writing against their will.

“(This) “statement is not being given voluntary (sic), but under duress,” Smith wrote. “I am only giving this statement (sic) at this time because I know that I could lose my job if I refuse the direct order being given to me.”

http://www.airguideonline.com/2017/04/25/police-report-tells-us-something-different-about-the-united-incident/

[Ken H]

Gentlemen, your thoughts on the following?

Interestingly, both Rodriguez and Officer Steven Smith prefaced their reports by saying they were writing against their will.

“(This) “statement is not being given voluntary (sic), but under duress,” Smith wrote. “I am only giving this statement (sic) at this time because I know that I could lose my job if I refuse the direct order being given to me.”

(see post #152 for link)

[Reno89519]

That is very interesting. Wonder how that will go over when they are charged with assault?

[Ken H]

It sounds like the 2 officers are claiming they were coerced into making a false statement on the record. I believe that's a federal felony with significant prison time.

It could also explain why the supervisor was suspended.

[ransomnote]

Don’t know what the story is but your post seems to be exaggerating some of the claims> To your information, I’ll add that the formal reports by the security personnel said that the passenger was taken off, said he was diabetic, ems was summoned, he was offered water, adn then he ran back onto the plane stating they would have to kill him. Ran back onto the plane might suggest that he wasn’t out cold or as debilitated as you indicate. Seems like “ran back onto the plane” would be easy to prove/disprove.
This link has reports:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/04/25/united-david-dao-police-report-dragging-incident/100873730/

[Oztrich Boy]

Interestingly, both Rodriguez and Officer Steven Smith prefaced their reports by saying they were writing against their will.

In nearly identical words

The perps have lawyered up

[stillfree?]

Don’t Dao me bro!

[Ken H]

I read it to mean Smith and Rodriguez are pinning the blame on Ofc. Long for the injuries suffered by Dr Dao.

My goodness, they wrote a report exonerating themselves, and specifically Ofc. Long, then prefaced it by saying they were forced to write it against their will.

This is jaw-dropping stuff.

[zaxtres]

Have you heard they WERE NOT COPS?

oops. missed that didn’t you.