CHICAGO — United Airlines' CEO says a passenger who was dragged off a plane and bloodied was "disruptive and belligerent" in a new letter to employees, according to reports.
Oscar Munoz said employees "followed established procedures" when they removed the man from the plane to Louisville, according to CNBC.
Viral videos of the Sunday incident show officers pulling the man from his chair and dragging him out by his arms. Other videos show the man's mouth, chin and cheek smeared with blood.
The airline asked four passengers to leave the plane voluntarily because they were overbooked and had four nonworking crew members who had to fly to Louisville, said travelers who wrote about the incident online. No one volunteered to give up a seat, and the airline said a computer would randomly select four people to be removed, a passenger reported.
The man was among those selected, but he told airline employees he was a doctor and needed to go home to see patients in the morning, according to passenger accounts.
That's when the man was dragged out of the plane, according to the passengers.
Other videos show the man returning and walking up the plane's aisle while saying, "I have to go home. I have to go home."
Two videos show the man bleeding and clutching a curtain in the aisle while saying, "Just kill me. Kill me," and "I have to go home."
RELATED: New Video Shows Bloodied United Airlines Passenger Saying 'Please Kill Me'
The man was removed from the plane, and the flight left. He was taken to Lutheran General Hospital and received treatment for his injuries.
Later, a Chicago Aviation Department security officer who helped remove the man from the plane was suspended "pending a thorough review," officials said.
“The incident on United flight 3411 was not in accordance with our standard operating procedure, and the actions of the aviation security officer are obviously not condoned by the Department,” said Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Aviation Department, in an emailed statement.
Munoz was criticized Monday after United released a statement saying customers had been "re-accomodate[d]."
"We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation," Munoz said in the statement.
But after that, Munoz sent a letter to employees and said crew members "were left with no choice but to call Chicago aviation security officers to assist in removing the customer from the flight," according to CNBC.
"I emphatically stand behind all of you," Munoz wrote.
According to United's "Contract of Carriage," or set of policies: "If a flight is oversold, no one may be denied boarding against his/her will until UA or other carrier personnel first ask for volunteers who will give up their reservations willingly in exchange for compensation as determined by UA. If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily in accordance with UA’s boarding priority."
Those who are the least likely to be denied boarding or deplaned due to overbooking are children traveling alone and passengers with disabilities. Other factors considered by the airline when deciding who to remove include: a "passenger’s fare class, itinerary, status of frequent flyer program membership, and the time in which the passenger presents him/herself for check-in without advanced seat assignment."
@united @CNN @FoxNews @WHAS11 Man forcibly removed from plane somehow gets back on still bloody from being removed pic.twitter.com/njS3nC0pDl
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 10, 2017
#flythefriendlyskies @united no words. This poor man!! pic.twitter.com/rn0rbeckwT
— Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis) April 10, 2017
#flythefriendlyskies my husband was on that flight. Screw you United!! @united pic.twitter.com/4EcxrMy5jZ
— Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis) April 10, 2017
#flythefriendlyskies @united my husband had to deboard because of the blood pic.twitter.com/AMywCaPlnC
— Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis) April 10, 2017
United CEO response to United Express Flight 3411. pic.twitter.com/rF5gNIvVd0
— United (@united) April 10, 2017
@united @CNN @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/gk7oPOSmQe
— Emily Powell (@Powell_Emily) April 9, 2017
@WHAS11 Kids were crying people are disturbed. Also after being removed the bloodied man somehow ran back on the plane repeating-I have to get home
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 10, 2017
@United overbook #flight3411 and decided to force random passengers off the plane. Here's how they did it: pic.twitter.com/QfefM8X2cW
— Jayse D. Anspach (@JayseDavid) April 10, 2017
@USAnonymous Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave ^MD
— United (@united) April 10, 2017
