Man claims he was hit and tied up for sitting in the wrong plane seat
<p><span>A Nigerian man has claimed that an Emirates Airlines flight crew punched and bound him and also taped his mouth shut on a flight from Dubai to Chicago.</span></p>
<p><span>His lawyer said David Ukesone was eight hours from Chicago when the dispute with flight attendants started, reported <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/01/30/man-claims-was-punched-and-bound-on-emirates-airlines-flight-to-chicago.html" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Fox News</strong></span></a>.</span></p>
<p><span>Ukesone, a retired police officer in his 70s, said the argument ensued after the flight attendant asked him which seat he was supposed to be in.</span></p>
<p><span>“He apparently sits in the wrong seat and was told to change seats by a flight attendant,” lawyer Howard Schaffner told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/71-year-man-airline-crew-hit-tied-sitting/story?id=52682008" target="_blank">ABC News</a></strong></span>. “He didn’t think he was in the wrong seat and there was an argument and, at some point, he was hit.”</span></p>
<p><span>In a statement released by Emirates Airlines, the airline confirmed that an incident took place but said the passenger became unruly and the flight attendants were forced to restrain him.</span></p>
<p><span>“Emirates can confirm that a passenger on flight EK235 from Dubai to Chicago on January 23 had to be restrained by cabin crew due to unruly behaviour during the flight. The passenger was handed over to the authorities on arrival in Chicago.</span></p>
<p><span>“The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and will not be compromised. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the other passengers on the flight for their understanding, in particular the individuals who had assisted our crew during the flight.”</span></p>
<p><span>Ukesone had been on a previous flight from Nigeria to Dubai “with no incident”, reported ABC News.</span></p>
<p><span>He was flying from Dubai to Chicago to meet his wife and adult son and daughter who had immigrated to the United States.</span></p>
<p><span>On his second flight, Ukesone was assigned to seat 35D and during the flight he got up to use the rest room. When he returned, he accidentally sat in a seat that wasn’t 35D but was “very close”, his lawyer said.</span></p>
<p><span>A flight attendant reportedly approached him and asked him to move, which confused him because he claims he thought he was in the correct seat. Ukesone said he speaks English but sometimes has “difficulty understanding” accents other than Nigerian.</span></p>
<p><span>“He was asked to move and he wanted to take his bag in the overhead compartment with him,” the lawyer said.</span></p>
<p><span>“They told him he was in the wrong seat and they laid hands on him to move him and that’s when everything escalated,” Mr Schaffner added.</span></p>
<p><span>The lawyer claims the disagreement intensified and a flight crew member hit him “at least once” leaving a “large welt on his face”.</span></p>
<p><span>The passenger was also allegedly restrained with a hemp rope which caused “significant wounds on his wrists and ankles” and his “mouth was taped” for the remainder of the eight-hour flight.</span></p>
<p><span>A spokesman for Emirates Airlines told NY Daily News, “Our cabin crew are highly trained to ensure the safety and security of our passengers, and constantly monitored Mr. Ukesone’s welfare throughout the flight.”</span></p>
<p><span>When the flight arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Ukeson was removed from the plane by the US Customer and Border Patrol and turned over to local authorities. He was then allegedly transported to a hospital on a stretcher where he was treated for lacerations and bruising.</span></p>
<p><span>His family, who were waiting to pick him up from the airport were not informed of the situation until several hours later.</span></p>
<p><span>According to a report, Ukesone remained in hospital for several days.</span></p>
<p><span>Emirates told Fox 32 a flight attendant was also taken to hospital for injuries.</span></p>
<p><span>Mr Schaffner has said that his client was not on any medication, had not consumed any alcohol and had no history of mental illness.</span></p>
<p><span>He also revealed that his client had not been charged with any crime and was planning to take legal action.</span></p>
<p><span>There’s no question we’re going to file a lawsuit,” Mr Schaffner said, adding that he hoped other passengers who were flying with Mr Ukesone that day would come forward.</span></p>
<p><span>“Everybody needs to step back for a second and take a deep breath,” Mr Schaffner said.</span></p>
<p><span>“He hasn’t flown in a long time and he’s clearly from another country ... he just made an honest mistake of sitting in the wrong seat and people have to be trained to deal with things like that, without escalating them into something crazy.”</span></p>
