A Royal Caribbean The cruise en route from California to Mexico turned tragic after the death of a passenger aboard the ship Navigator of the Seas.
Passenger Michael Virgil, 35, was arrested by security on Friday, December 13 after allegedly physically assaulted crew members and threatened other passengers in a drunken rage, reports Fox 11 Los Angeles.
In video footage obtained by Fox, Virgil appears to attempt to break down a door in a room where a member of the crew was hiding, shouting insults, before being overpowered by security.
In a screenshot from a video provided to Fox 11, Michael Virgil appears to attempt to break down a door where a Royal Caribbean staff member was allegedly hiding.
Fox 11
“I was a little scared,” Christifer Mikhail, who filmed the incident, told Fox, adding that Virgil would have threatened to kill him and had kicked one crew member and punched another.
Using pepper spray, zip ties and handcuffs, security members were able to subdue Virgil and detain him.
But within an hour he died.
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Now the FBI is investigating.
Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told USA Today that they were called to the ship when it docked in the city and that they were “investigate an incident on board, which resulted in death. The FBI has not released the circumstances of Virgil’s death, and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said the cause of death is pending further investigation.
A family member told Fox 11 that Virgil’s behavior on the ship was which is not characteristic of him.
“He didn’t deserve to die from this,” they said, adding that they believed Virgil had been sedated by ship security.
According to people close to him, Virgil was a father and fiancé who left behind a seven-year-old son and a bride-to-be, both on a cruise.
In a statement, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said an investigation was underway: “We are saddened by the death of one of our guests. We have offered our support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.
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