Dismissed cop sues US airline

TOUGH: HE HELPED DRAG PASSENGER OFF A FULL PLANE

Man had refused when asked to give up seat on a flight for United Airlines staff.

Chicago

Aformer Chicago aviation police officer who helped drag a 69-yearold passenger off a parked United Airlines plane last year in an incident that drew international outrage is suing the airline and the city that fired him.

James Long, one of several officers involved in removing David Dao from the April 9, 2017, flight to make room for airline employees, filed a suit on Tuesday against United, Chicago’s department of aviation and its commissioner.

The lawsuit alleges he was not properly trained on how to use force.

Video footage recorded by other passengers showed Dao being dragged by Chicago aviation police, including Long, down the aisle of the plane.

Dao had been asked to give up his seat to airline employees on a flight from Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky, and he had refused.

Dao suffered a concussion, a broken nose and lost two front teeth as a result of the fracas. He later settled for an undisclosed sum with the airline, which apologised for how he was treated.

United originally blamed the incident on having overbooked the flight, and subsequently changed its policy on how to handle overbooked flights.

Long was fired by the city following the incident, which quickly went viral online, sparking public anger against United and the US airline industry for its history of customer service failures.

In the suit, Long maintained he had used “minimal but necessary force” to remove Dao and that United knew or should have known that the involvement of aviation police in the incident could result in “the use of physical force.” – Reuters