Aviation officer gives his version of United flight removal

The physician who was dragged off a United flight in Chicago this month was verbally and physically abusive, and flailing his arms before he lost his balance and struck his mouth on an armrest, according to the aviation officer who pulled the man out of his seat. The Chicago Department of Aviation on Monday released the officer's report of the incident, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The AP. The report reveals for the first time the officer's version of what happened aboard the plane at O'Hare International Airport on April 9. The report also includes the name of the officer, James Long, who authorities initially declined to identify. In the report, Long said he boarded the United Express flight after being called in response to a disturbance involving two people regarding a refusal to leave the aircraft. Long said he approached Dr. David Dao to ask the 69-year-old physician to get off the plane. Long said Dao refused and "folded his arms tightly." Long said he reached out to "hold" Dao and was able to pull him away from his window seat on the aircraft and move toward the aisle. "But suddenly the subject started flailing and fighting," Long wrote. Dao then knocked Long's hand off his arm, causing the struggling Dao to fall and strike his mouth on an arm rest on the other side of the aisle, according to the report. Long said he then dragged Dao because Dao refused to stand up. Long said he wrote the report and gave his version of events only because he faced losing his job. In a separate report released Monday, labeled a "Hospitalization Case Report," the Chicago Police Department said Dao was observed striking his face against an armrest as aviation officers "attempted to escort" him from the flight. Long and two other aviation officers were subsequently placed on leave by the aviation department.<br/>