The man forcibly removed from a United flight went to the hospital for his injuries
According to the police statement, the 69-year-old Asian male was forcibly removed by Chicago Aviation Police after refusing to give up his seat on the overbooked flight, which was traveling from Chicago to Louisville. The airline says it first asked volunteers to leave in exchange for $800, but then told several people they had to leave when no one volunteered.
The man began voicing his "displeasure" when he was told he had to get off the plane, leading the airline to summon aviation officers, according to the statement.
"Aviation Officers arrived on scene attempted to carry the individual off the flight when he fell," the Chicago Police said in the statement. "His head subsequently struck an armrest causing injuries to his face. The man was taken to Lutheran General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries."
The police department said the investigation is still ongoing.
United Airlines wrote the following statement to Business Insider:
"Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation. Further details on the removed customer should be directed to authorities."
United CEO Oscar Munoz also released a statement following the incident:
"This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. 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. We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation."