The man spoke from the back of the plane as blood dripped from his head and mouth
A new video of the passenger who was forcibly removed from his seat and dragged through the aisle of an overbooked United Airlines aircraft shows the man repeatedly saying “just kill me” as blood drips from his mouth.
“Just kill me, just kill me,” the man said in a video posted on Twitter by Kaylyn Davis, who says her husband was on the overbooked flight on Sunday evening. Another video taken by her husband shows the man repeating, “I have to go home.”
In a statement, police said they were summoned after the passenger “became irate” after he was asked to leave the oversold flight.
"Aviation Officers arrived on the scene attempted to carry the individual off of the flight when he fell,” the statement said. “His head subsequently struck an armrest causing injuries to his face. The man was taken to Lutheran General with non-life threatening injuries.”
A video posted on Facebook Sunday evening showed security forcibly pulling the passenger from his seat after he refused to leave the overbooked flight. The man could be heard screaming as a security official grabbed his arms and then proceeded to drag him down the aisle of the United aircraft.
United had to randomly select four passengers to switch flights to make room for four United employees who had to return to Louisville, according to passenger Aura Bridges, who posted the original video. The airline had originally offered vouchers and hotel stays for customers who volunteered to take a different flight the next day, but no one opted to.
The man said he was a doctor who had to return to his patients Monday morning. Bridges told the Louisville Courier-Journal the man returned to the plane after being pulled off with his face bloodied.
The video sparked outrage online, with many expressing confusion, discontent and anger at the airline company for its handling of the situation.
“After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate,” the company said in a statement Monday morning.
United CEO Oscar Munoz said the company is reaching out to the passenger to “further address and resolve this situation.”
“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United,” United CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement Monday. “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened."
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