New Footage Shows Tense Moments Before Passenger Is Dragged Off United Flight

New footage shows David Dao speaking with police officers moments before he was dragged off a United flight.

Outrage continues to pour in over the United Airlines fiasco, and the company continues to suffer in the wake of the viral video of a man being dragged off one of their flights. New footage documents the moments before Chicago PD officers dragged David Dao out of his seat, and it shows the doctor insisting he'd rather be dragged out than miss his flight. 

In the moments before Dao is forcibly removed from the plane, the footage shows the escalation of a relatively calm conversation with police officers on board. His predicament is spelled out for the cops early on: "I won't go. I'm [a] physician, have to work tomorrow [at] eight o'clock."

Despite their best efforts to coerce him into getting off the plane, repeated requests from the officers only appear to anger Dao. When they tell him he'll have to be dragged off the plane if he doesn't cooperate, Dao digs his heels in and insists he'd prefer that route to willingly getting off the plane. "Well then you can drag me," he says. "I don't go. I'm not going, I'm staying right [here]." He even goes so far as to say, "I'd rather go to jail."

Footage from multiple angles within the plane show a tense group of passengers waiting for the moment to pass, as Dao eventually asserts, "I have to go home!" several times. There are no signs of violence or force from either party in the moments preceding the incident, which makes the eventual escalation seen on the original video all the more confusing.

While those sympathetic to the airline's problem might view Dao's statements as justification for him being dragged off the plane, it's unlikely that was an earnest request on his behalf. Dao sounds like a man who is simply tired and eager to get home, and people have done and said crazier things on flights without aviation officials authorizing excessive force to resolve the problem.

This isn't the only new footage that has emerged since the original video went viral. A brief, disturbing video of a bloodied Dao popped up, where the physician told officers, "Just kill me":

United CEO Oscar Munoz has been on the defense in the wake of the incident, though his response has been mixed. Munoz claims he was disturbed and apologetic for what happened to Dao on the flight, but told United employees in an internal letter that, "I also emphatically stand behind all of you."

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