New York Post

‘I AM NOT GOING!’

Jet vid shows lead-up to tussle

- By NATALIE MUSUMECI and BRUCE GOLDING nmusumeci@nypost.com

New video emerged Wednesday of United Airlines passenger Dr. David Dao arguing with cops before being dragged off a plane — as the company’s CEO vowed it would never happen again.

Meanwhile, lawyers for Dao — who was also recorded threatenin­g to sue the airline — filed court papers seeking to preserve surveillan­ce video, the cockpit voice recording and other evidence tied to the violent incident at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

United also said it was issuing refunds to every passenger who had to sit through the debacle that delayed United Express Flight 3411 to Louisville, Ky., on Sunday.

A video shot from the row behind Dao shows him adamantly refusing to give up his seat while being confronted by a Chicago aviation cop and simultaneo­usly speaking on a cellphone.

“I won’t go. I’m a physician. I have to work tomorrow, 8 o’clock,” Dao says.

At one point, he threatens to “make a lawsuit against United Airline” before insisting: “No, I am not going. I am not going!”

Dao also responds to the cop by saying, “Well, you can then drag me down, I won’t go. I’m not going. I’m staying right here.”

Embattled United CEO Oscar Munoz publicly promised that cops wouldn’t ever again haul a paying passenger off one of the company’s planes.

“We are not gonna put a law-enforcemen­t official [on] to take them off,” Munoz told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“To remove a booked, paid, seating passenger, we can’t do that.”

Munoz said he felt “shame” upon seeing video of Dao getting bloodied, but the CEO said he would ignore calls to resign over the embarrassi­ng episode.

He also blamed his initial reaction — when in an internal memo he accused Dao of being “disruptive and belligeren­t” — on a need “to get the facts and circumstan­ces.”

“I do look forward to a time when I can, as much as I’ve been able, to apologize directly to him for what’s happened,” Munoz added.

A spokeswoma­n for Dao’s lawyers wouldn’t say if Dao was willing to meet Munoz face to face.

Neither the Chicago Law Department nor United, which are named in Dao’s court filing, would comment on the suit.

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 ??  ?? In a newly emerged cellphone video of the on-board confrontat­ion that turned violent, an airport security officer (above) stands over a defiant Dr. David Dao as he refuses to get off.
In a newly emerged cellphone video of the on-board confrontat­ion that turned violent, an airport security officer (above) stands over a defiant Dr. David Dao as he refuses to get off.

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