An Oregon family filed a complaint against United Airlines on Saturday after they were kicked off a flight on May 5 because their autistic child allegedly became “disruptive.”
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Cellphone footage captured by another passenger and posted on YouTube shows the family, including the 15-year-old autistic girl, being escorted off the plane by several security officials during an emergency landing in Salt Lake City.
In the video, the girl appears calm as she leaves her seat and walks through the aisle with headphones on.
The teen’s mother, Dr. Donna Beegle of Tigard, Oregon, told NBC station KGW of Portland, Oregon, that her daughter, Juliette, became agitated during a layover because she was hungry.
Dr. Donna Beegle has filed official complaints with United and the Federal Aviation Administration and plans to sue the airline "not for money, but rather to ask that airline staff receive training."
According to the report, Beegle requested a meal for her daughter, and once received, she calmed down and watched a movie, but soon after, a crew member made an announcement that the plane would be making an emergency landing because of "a passenger on board with a behavior issue."
Once the plane landed, police officers boarded it and escorted the entire family off.
In a statement to NBC, United Airlines said its "crew made the best decision for the safety and comfort of all of our customers and elected to divert to Salt Lake City after the situation became disruptive."
Beegle has filed official complaints with United and the Federal Aviation Administration and plans to sue the airline "not for money, but rather to ask that airline staff receive training," she said on Facebook.
Read the full NBC article here.