University of Michigan professor pleads guilty to disorderly conduct after being seen in viral video getting dragged off a plane

  • Rhima Coleman, 40, was dragged of Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to San Diego on December 12
  • Police report stated the University of Michigan assistant professor of bioengineering was asked to disembark after getting into a confrontation 
  • Cellphone video shot by another passenger that shows Coleman being dragged by her wrists down the aisle has been viewed more than 2.3million times 
  • On Monday, Coleman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $95 fine or spend 30 days in jail 

By Associated Press and Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:57 EST, 6 February 2017 | Updated: 15:46 EST, 6 February 2017

A University of Michigan assistant professor who was seen in a cellphone video being dragged off a flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

Rhima Coleman, 40, acknowledged in court on Monday that a confrontation led to her being asked to leave the plane on December 12. 

In exchange for her guilty plea to the misdemeanor charge, prosecutors have agreed to drop a more serious count of failure to obey a police officer.

This video from December 12 shows Rhima Coleman, 40, being dragged by a uniformed cop off of a Delta Air Lines flight  at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Coleman had to be dragged by her wrists after she refused to disembark on her own

Embarrassing display: This video from December 12 shows Rhima Coleman, 40, being dragged by a uniformed cop off of a Delta Air Lines flight  at Detroit Metropolitan Airport

Down for the count: An incident report said the 40-year-old assistant professor with a PhD 'passively resisted by falling to the floor'

Down for the count: An incident report said the 40-year-old assistant professor with a PhD 'passively resisted by falling to the floor'

Coleman's lawyer Dov Lustig told MLive.com his client, who has a PhD in bioengineering, felt she was being treated unfairly during the incident, which was sparked by a disagreement over a piece of luggage fitting in a bin.

The lawyer added that Coleman knows she didn't handle the situation properly.

On Monday, a judge ordered Coleman to pay $495 in fines or serve 30 days in jail.

Coleman, who has taught biotechnolgy at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor since 2012, was ejected from a Delta Air Lines flight on December 12 as it was preparing to depart for San Diego at the airport in Romulus, about 20 miles southwest of Detroit. 

According to a police report, Coleman refused to check her bag, swipe her boarding pass and leave the plane.

Coleman is pictured in her mugshot
The 40-year-old teaches biotechnolgy at University of Michigan's College of Engineering

Coleman, pictured left in her mugshot and right in her LinkedIn profile photo, teaches biotechnolgy at University of Michigan's College of Engineering 

A fellow passenger on board the flight used his cellphone to capture the moment uniformed police officers who were summoned to remove Coleman from the plane proceeded to drag the uncooperative woman by her wrists down the aisle.

The incident report said the 40-year-old educator 'passively resisted by falling to the floor.'

The cellphone footage that was posted on YouTube by travel blogger Renee deLambert has racked up more than 2.3million views as of Monday afternoon.

A UM spokesperson said Coleman’s employment status at the College of Engineering has not changed in the wake of the incident in December  

According to her LinkedIn page, Coleman earned her Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Rochester, followed by the PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Her biography posted on University of Michigan's website indicates that Coleman’s research areas include tissue engineering, biometrics and regenerative medicine.

The bioengineering PhD has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a fine or spend 30 days in jail 

The bioengineering PhD has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a fine or spend 30 days in jail 

 

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