"For reasons unknown to us, instead of trained Chicago Police Department officers being dispatched to the scene, Chicago Department of Aviation personnel responded. At this point, without direction and outside the control of United Airlines or the Republic crew, the Chicago Department of Aviation forcibly removed the passenger." (from United ALPA MEC release). Surely it's fortunate that the armed Chicago Police Dept WEREN'T called!
It would benefit the pilots and flight attendants if the squalid haggling over compensation for bumping were strictly done on the land side of the check-in NOT on the aircraft....more civilised perhaps if the last 5 or10% of economy seats were sold as unguaranteed standby seats to cater for connecting passengers or emergency staff movements
Now Dr Dao and his lawyer have to weigh-up compensation bids from the airline orders of magnitude bigger $10m... $100m? against going to court