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The 69-year-old passenger was seen bleeding from the face

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz claims the passenger who was left bleeding from his face after being dragged off an overbooked flight was “disruptive and belligerent”.

As reported by CNBC, in a letter to United employees, Munoz claimed that employees on the flight “followed established procedures” by removing the passenger from the plane as it was over booked. In the letter, Munoz described the passenger as “disruptive and belligerent”.

The airline had asked several randomly selected passengers who were already boarded on a flight from Chicago to Louisville on Sunday to disembark from the plane because too many tickets were sold. When a 69-year-old passenger refused to leave, United called in airport officials who forcibly removed the him from the plane.

Videos of the incident went viral this morning. In separate clips, the passenger can be heard screaming as he is dragged by his arms by security guards. Another clip shows the man returning with blood on his face.
Munoz’s letter claimed that the passenger “raised his voice and refused to comply” after crew members asked him to leave.

Crew members “were left with no choice but to call Chicago Aviation Security Officers to assist in removing the customer from the flight,” Munoz wrote, and at one point the passenger “continued to resist – running back onto the aircraft in defiance of both our crew and security officials.”

“I emphatically stand behind all of you.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation is reportedly investigating the incident.