United stock plummets after passenger dragging fiasco

United Continental’s stock is getting forcibly dragged out of its seat.

The owner of United Airlines saw its shares drop more than 4 percent in early Tuesday trades after a leaked memo from Chief Executive Oscar Munoz praised the airline’s move to forcibly drag a passenger off an overbooked flight.

Videos of the Sunday incident in Chicago, which showed the passenger screaming and suffering a bloodied mouth while being dragged down an aisle by a beefy security goon, spread like wildfire on social media.

Nevertheless, Munoz reportedly wrote in the Monday memo that he stands “emphatically” behind the actions of United staff, who went “above and beyond” as they “followed established procedures.” Munoz added that the passenger had been “disruptive and belligerent.”

Overnight, however, still more graphic videos surfaced on social media showing the passenger covered in blood.

United Continental shares, which had edged up nearly 1 percent Monday despite furor over the incident, were recently off 4.2 percent at $68.53.