Man dragged off United Airlines flight, a doctor with a troubled past

The man who was dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight on Sunday (April 9), has been identified as Vietnamese-American doctor with troubled past.

According to the Daily Mail, airline staff caught Dr David Dao, 69, by his hands and dragged him out of the flight before take-off. The incident went viral on social media, sparking off an outrage from the general public over his mistreatment.

The Daily Mail, however, reports that Dr. Dao, a father of five children, four of whom are doctors, has a criminal and troubled past.

It quoted other media, as saying that Dr. Dao was reportedly convicted of multiple felony counts of obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit.

It has also been reported that he was suspended from practicing medicine in 2005 for a decade. He was also reportedly a professional poker player who made over USD 117,000 in a tournament in 2009.

Dr. Dao, a grandfather, studied at a medical school in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, and is married to a paediatrician.

Netizens, however, have defended Dr. Dao, saying that his troubled past should not have had a bearing on how he was treated on the United Airlines flight.