Cruise ship passenger dies in detainment after drunken altercation onboard
Topics: Royal Caribbean, US News
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Fox 11 Los Angeles
Topics: Royal Caribbean, US News
A Royal Caribbean passenger died while being detained after allegedly making threats to kill holidaymakers.
Michael Virgil had boarded the 'Navigator of the Seas' vessel from San Pedro, in Los Angeles, which was heading to Ensenada, Mexico, with his seven-year-old son and fiancée when tragedy struck on Friday (December 13).
The late 35-year-old is alleged to have become unruly less than an hour into the 16-hour cruise down the Pacific coast to the Mexican port city.
Advert
It is claimed that Virgil assaulted two staff members, by way of punching one and kicking the other in the face, after having allegedly made threats to kill his fellow passengers.
Christian Mikhail was one of the travellers that Virgil is claimed to have become aggressive towards.
Speaking to Fox 11, he said: "The gentleman that was drunk said that he was going to kill us. He started chasing us down the hallway."
Mikhail went on to share how he was 'kind of scared', adding: "I’m stuck in this hallway. He could of flicked me and thrown me like 30 feet because the guy he punched kinda flew a couple feet back."
He was running away from Virgil with a crew member of the Royal Caribbean when they jumped into a towel closet and locked himself in - at which point it is alleged that dad-of-one began trying to kick the door open while appearing to wear steel-toe-capped boots.
He is then claimed to have begun shouting curse words before taking his top off in the ship hallway - while Fox 11 also reported that he is believed to have gone on a racist tirade.
A team of Royal Caribbean security members managed to detain Virgil by using zip ties as well as handcuffs and possibly pepper spray - according to eyewitness Mikhail, who recorded the footage on his phone.
His family has since stated that Virgil was injected with a sedative and died within the hour.
Speaking to the TV station, one of his relatives explained that the outburst was 'uncharacteristic' of him, adding: "He didn’t deserve to die over it."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the cruise line has issued the following statement to UNILAD: “We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”
The FBI is investigating both the altercation and Virgil's death, while an autopsy is pending.