A drunken cruise ship passenger has died after a violent outburst in which he allegedly threatened to kill other passengers, kick in a door, and attacked staff, before being restrained with the help of pepper spray, zip ties, and handcuffs. Family members of the deceased man have said he was injected with a sedative before his death.
The deadly drunken incident took place aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the 'Navigator of the Seas', barely an hour after the 1000ft liner had left port, with passengers expecting a luxurious journey to Mexico. But instead, some faced profanity-laden death threats from 35-year-old Michael Virgil and witnessed him "drunkenly attacking crew members."
It has been claimed that the man attacked two members of the crew just after the shit left Los Angeles, hitting one in the face and punching one other, then attempted to break down the door to a towel room where one of the staff was hiding.
In a video appearing to show the outburst acquired by Fox11, Virgil can be seen trying to kick down a door before taking his top off. One witness to the drunken outburst who was on the cruise with his family and friends, Christifer Mikhail, told the outlet: “The gentleman that was drunk said he was going to kill us. He started chasing us down the hallway.”
"I was kind of scared," Mikhail said. "I'm stuck in this hallway." Passengers reported the man uttering profanities and racial slurs during the incident.
Later images show him lying on the ground in the same cruise ship hallway, surrounded by officials, handcuffed and zip-tied. Within an hour of being restrained and placed into custody by the ship's security, he was dead.
Speaking to American media, a member of Michael Virgil's family said: "He didn't deserve to die over it."
The man's family have alleged that the 35-year-old father was injected with a sedative following the outburst, which they said was out of character for him. The FBI has confirmed that they are investigating the man's death on the Navigator of the Seas.
"The FBI responded to a Royal Caribbean cruise on Monday when it docked in Los Angeles and is investigating an incident on board that resulted in death," they said in a statement.
Michael Virgil leaves behind a seven-year-old son and wife, who were with him on the cruise.
The cruise line has also confirmed the death aboard one of their ships. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: “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.”
