Police who dragged passenger from United flight stand by use of force

The police report from the aviation security officers who were recorded on video dragging a passenger off an United Airlines flight earlier this month has been released.

The officers said David Dao was aggressive and said they used "minimal but necessary force to remove the subject," WGN reported.

United had randomly selected Dao to leave the flight to allow employees fly to their work destination in Louisville.

Police reports said Dao told officials, "I'm not leaving this flight that I paid money for. I don't care if I get arrested," WGN reported.

This Sunday, April 9, 2017, image made from a video provided by Audra D. Bridges shows a passenger who was removed from a United Airlines flight in Chicago. Video of police officers dragging the passenger from an overbooked United Airlines flight sparked an uproar Monday on social media, and a spokesman for the airline insisted that employees had no choice but to contact authorities to remove the man. (Audra D. Bridges via AP)

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The report was written by Officer Maricio Rodriguez Jr., The Chicago Tribune reported.

Video of Dao’s removal caused an uproar across the country after going viral.

One of the officers said in the report that Dao was "swinging his arms up and down with a closed fist." He added that the passenger was "flailing and fighting" when Officer James Long tried to remove him and that is what caused Dao to hit his own head on a seat divider, The Tribune reported.

Dao, according to the report, returned to the flight and the flight crew said he had been “spitting blood” in the galley.

It was later discovered that Dao had a concussion, a broken nose, a sinus injury and lost two front teeth, The Tribune reported.

A total of four officers, Rodriguez, Long, Stephen Smith and Sgt. John Moore, are suspended with pay. Long, who is seen dragging Dao down the aisle had returned from a multi-day suspension for not guarding an airport entrance, WHAS and WGN reported.

Moore had also faced suspension during his tenure with the department for not being at work and not telling his bosses, WHAS reported.

The airline apologized multiple times after the incident came to light. It also has changed how and when passengers can be removed from a flight.

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