United Airlines forced a "randomly selected" passenger to give up his seat. It did not end well.
Let me get this straight. United Airlines overbooks a flight, and in an attempt to make room for some airline employees, they start picking random people to boot off the flight. And that's how we got these horrifying videos of an Asian man being violently wrenched from his seat, knocked unconscious and dragged off the plane.
Passenger Forcibly Removed From United Flight, Prompting Outcry
On Sunday evening, passengers on United flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville had already boarded when the airline asked for volunteers to take another flight the next day to make room for four United staff members who needed seats. Big surprise, they got no takers. The airline offered $400 and a free hotel, then upped the offer to $800, but still, nobody wanted off. That's when they went ahead and just selected four passengers to eject from the flight — including the soon-to-knocked unconscious 69-year-old man.
An airline representative told him he had been "randomly" selected to be taken off the flight. The man refused to give up his seat, saying he was a doctor and was scheduled to see patients the next day. He was insistent that would not get off the plane and, according to one witness, called his lawyer. The passenger was also heard saying he was being singled out for removal because he was Chinese.
That's when United called the cops.
Witnesses say the man began screaming when three law enforcement officers wrestled him out of seat. During the struggle, the man's face apparently struck an armrest and he was knocked unconscious. Video taken by passengers shows the man limp and bleeding from the mouth as officers dragged him down the aisle.
Several of videos taken during the incident were posted and shared on social media:
Marcus M. Wise 