Two of the four Chicago Department of Aviation Security officers who beat United Airlines passenger Dr David Dao until he was unconscious, concussing him, breaking his nose and then dragging him off the plane, have been fired — but not for administering the beating. Rather, they were fired for lying about it. One of the other two officers involved has quit and the final one got a two-day paid holiday ("suspension").
The Chicago aviation force is a notorious cesspool (they even employ a Guantanamo Bay torturer who was forced out of CPD after a series of wrongful arrest convictions).
The firing follows the publication of a new report by Chicago's Inspector General Joseph Ferguson. The report says that the men who were fired made "misleading statements and deliberately removed material facts from their reports."
Dao's attorney Thomas Demetrio said in a statement that it's "unfortunate" that the conduct of the two aviation officers resulted in their losing their jobs. However, "this is not a day of celebration for Dr. Dao, who is neither vindictive nor happy about Mr. Ferguson's findings," he adds.Instead, he says there's a lesson to be learned for law enforcement at all levels.
"Do not state something that is clearly contrary to video viewed by the world," Demetrio said. "But for the video, the filed report stating that only 'minimal' force was used would have been unnoticed. Simply put, don't make stuff up."
Two Chicago Aviation Officers Fired For Role In Dragging United Passenger From Flight [Mary Beth Quirk/Consumerist]
