A passenger aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise to Mexico died after an apparent altercation with personnel on the ship, according to a report.
The chaotic scene was captured on video by another passenger and shared by Fox 11 News. The video showed 35-year-old Michael Virgil appearing to shout and repeatedly kick a door in an attempt to break it down while aboard the Ensenada-bound cruise ship. Virgil was accused of attacking two crew members and was recorded while appearing to utter threats.
He was eventually detained and died approximately one hour later, according to Fox 11 News. A relative of Virgil believes he was injected with “some sort of sedative” before he died. His cause of death has not yet been determined.
Passenger Christifer Mikhail said the unruly cruise passenger started terrorizing other people about an hour after the ship departed the port of San Pedro.
“The gentlemen that was drunk said that he was going to kill us,” the witness said to FOX 11’s Hailey Winslow.
“He started chasing us down the hallway,” he continued.
Mikhail told the outlet the man attacked two crew members and attempted to kick down a door in an attempt to try to get to one of the crew members. The video showed a shirtless man, later identified as Virgil, appearing to yell and act aggressively in the hallway.
“I was kind of scared,” Mikhail said. “I’m stuck in this hallway.”
He went on to say Virgil was “asking for God to forgive him” during his outburst.
A Royal Caribbean passenger who was caught on camera having a violent meltdown died just hours after being detained https://t.co/axIDTxhetu #cruise #travel
— Royal Caribbean Blog (@theRCLblog) December 18, 2024
Reports indicate that security members placed Virgil in custody by using zip ties, handcuffs and a spray similar to bear or pepper spray, according to Fox 11 News.
His family is insisting that the behavior captured on video is completely out of character for Virgil. It’s unclear what led to the apparent outburst.
A relative said Virgil is survived by his 7-year-old son with autism and his fiancé. They were aboard the cruise ship with him.
“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” the relative told the outlet. (RELATED: Department Of Homeland Security Takes Disney Cruise Line Employee Into Custody On Child Pornography Charges)
“Nobody deserves to die, especially like that,” Mikhail said. “May he rest in peace, he just needed some help.”
The Royal Caribbean Group issued a statement to Fox 11 News saying, “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.”
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
