OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:54 AM – Wednesday, December 18, 2024
A “highly intoxicated” Royal Caribbean passenger, who was accused of attacking crew members and threatening other travelers, died on Friday after being detained on the ship.
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The family of Michael Virgil, 35, the now-deceased passenger, argues that employee negligence is to blame, alleging that Royal Caribbean security had injected him with some kind of powerful sedative which ultimately resulted in his death.
According to FOX 11, Virgil had reportedly threatened to kill other passengers and assaulted two crew members not even an hour after the cruise set sail from San Pedro.
Virgil also allegedly kicked one Royal Caribbean staffer in the face and punched another.
“The gentleman that was drunk said that he was going to kill us,” fellow traveler Christifer Mikhail told the station. “He [then] started chasing us down the hallway.”
Additionally, according to Mikhail, another crew member who eventually jumped into a towel closet and barricaded himself inside was being chased by the intoxicated man.
Mikhail’s video of the altercation shows Virgil then making several attempts to kick open the door. According to the video, he repeatedly kicked the door with steel-toed boots while yelling obscenities, before taking off his shirt in a ship hallway.
He then allegedly went on a racially motivated tirade, according to FOX 11.
“I was kind of scared,” Mikhail said. “I’m stuck in this hallway. He could’ve flicked me and thrown me like 30 feet because the guy he punched kinda flew a couple feet back.”
Several Royal Caribbean security team members were able to eventually detain a tired-out Virgil by using zip ties, handcuffs, and either “bear or pepper” spray.
Virgil died soon after, within an hour. His fiancée told the press that he had been injected with a sedative. His family also mentioned to FOX 11 that the drunken outburst was unusual for him, as the father was on the cruise with his 7-year-old autistic son and his fiancée. Her name is not identified.
“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” a relative of Virgil’s told the station.
The FBI is now investigating the incident and the cause of death is pending an autopsy.
The Royal Caribbean said in a statement to FOX 11 that they are now working with investigators working on the case.
“We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to FOX 11. “We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”
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