One might assume people would be more truthful about something if they knew multiple people were filming them — but one would be wrong.
When four Chicago Department of Aviation officers forcibly removed David Dao from United Express Flight 3411 on April 9, witnesses were recording the encounter from at least three angles. Yet despite that, the reports filed by the officers tell very different stories than what plays out in those videos, according to CNN.
According to the reports, the officers were called on the plane because Dao was “yelling about leaving the aircraft.” However, Joya and Forest Cummings, who shot one of the videos, told CNN he was only slightly irritated and didn’t even raise his voice when a second officer arrived, contrary to what officer Mauricio Rodriguez wrote in his report.
“I’m not getting off,” Dao aggressively told officers, according to Rodriguez’s report, via CNN. “I’m not leaving this flight that I paid money for. I don’t care if I get arrested.”
Officer James Long’s explanation for why he forcibly removed Dao from his seat similarly doesn’t mesh with the video evidence or witness accounts.
“The subject started swinging his arms up and down with a closed fist,” Long said in his report, according to CNN.
It wasn’t until officers began grabbing Dao, trying to pull him from his row, that he began yelling. He also can be seen grasping at the seats in his row, rather than swinging his fists at the officers.
Despite this, Long claims Dao’s flailing caused him to lose his grip, sending Dao flying into the armrest on the opposite side of the aisle. In the footage from the incident, however, Long can be seen reaching behind Dao, seemingly grabbing his belt, and pulling him out of the seat.
It’s worth noting Rodriguez said he submitted his report “under duress,” as he knew he would lose his job if he disobeyed his commanders order to give a statement the day of the incident.
Thumbnail photo via YouTube/Acoste Reeding
