David Dao, passenger removed from United flight, a doctor with troubled past

A passenger who refused to give up his seat on an overbooked United Airlines flight this weekend was forcibly removed and dragged off the plane, according to a video taken by another passenger. Time

1 of 4

A video posted on Facebook late Sunday evening shows a passenger on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville being forcibly removed from the plane before takeoff at O’Hare International Airport. Wochit

2 of 4

Video of an airline passenger being forcibly removed from his seat on an overbooked flight has sparked outrage against United Airlines. Turns out United has the right to remove a flier. Do you know your rights in that situation? USA TODAY

3 of 4

Video of a man being dragged out of his seat on a United Airlines flight has sparked social media uproar. The airline insisted the flight was over-booked and that it had no choice but to contact authorities when the man refused to leave. (April 10) AP

4 of 4

• 

  Video shows man getting dragged off overbooked United flight

• 

  Video shows passenger removed from United flight

• 

  What are your rights on an overbooked flight?

• 

  Passenger dragged off flight sparks uproar

The Elizabethtown home of Dr. David Dao. (Photo: Pat McDonogh/CJ) Buy Photo

David Dao, the Elizabethtown doctor who was yanked off an overbooked United Airlines flight Sunday, has had a troubled history in Kentucky.

Dao, who went to medical school in Vietnam in the 1970s before moving to the U.S., was working as a pulmonologist in Elizabethtown when he was arrested in 2003 and eventually convicted of drug-related offenses after an undercover investigation, according to documents filed with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure last June. The documents allege that he was involved in fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances and was sexually involved with a patient who used to work for his practice and assisted police in building a case against him.

Dao was convicted of multiple felony counts of obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit in November 2004 and was placed on five years of supervised probation in January 2005. He surrendered his medical license the next month.

The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure permitted Dao to resume practicing medicine in 2015 under certain conditions.

Dao was removed from United Express Flight 3411, bound for Louisville, on Sunday night at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago in an incident captured on video. United has come under scathing criticism for how it handled the situation, ranging from its insistence that passengers give up seats to the level of violence used by officers who yanked Dao from the aircraft.

In the video taken by passengers, Dao refuses to give up his seat. He then screams as three Chicago Aviation officers begin pulling him from his seat. Dao's head can be seen striking an armrest before he is dragged down the aisle by his arms, seemingly unconscious.

More Flight 3411 coverage

►United Airlines video has already become a meme

►Jeff Ruby offers United passenger free steak

►United's fiasco prompts apology, suspension

►Man forcibly removed from United flight from Chicago to Louisville

► United Airlines video has already become a meme

►Security officer placed on leave after United flight incident

►United CEO says passenger dragged from plane was 'an upsetting event'

►Social media explodes after man dragged from plane

►United Airlines had a right to remove that flier. But, was there a better way?

As he is dragged, some passengers can be heard admonishing the security officers.

Dao, his wife and two other passengers were asked to leave the aircraft because the flight was full and four crew members needed their seats. The airline had offered vouchers worth up to $800 for passengers to give up their seats, but no one took the offer. Four passengers, including Dao, were then selected to be bumped.

The Elizabethtown, Kentucky, office of Dr. David Dao. (Photo: Pat McDonogh/CJ)

A Louisville resident on the flight, Audra Bridges, told the Courier-Journal that Dao said he was a doctor and needed to see patients the next morning. Bridges said passengers were "shocked and appalled" by the incident, and thousands of people on social media have expressed sympathy for Dao and outrage over the way the situation was handled.

United has apologized for the incident. At least one of the security officers has been placed on leave, according to authorities. The U.S. Transportation Department also is investigating whether United complied with federal regulations regarding overbooking.

This story will be updated.

Additional coverage

VIDEO: Man dragged off overbooked United flight

VIDEO: What we know about a passenger being removed from a United flight

PHOTOS: The fleet and hubs of United Airlines

Screen shot from a video of a man being dragged off of a United Airlines' plane before it left Chicago and headed to Louisville.  (Photo: Video by Audra Bridges)

Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/2onIid8