John Jefferson
A cruise ship passenger caught on camera acting unruly died shortly after being detained.
Michael Virgil, 35, was seen trying to kick down a door on a ship shortly after it left the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal headed for Ensenada, Mexico, FOX 11 reported.
“The gentleman that was drunk said he was going to kill us,” cruise passenger Christifer Mikhail told the local station. “He started chasing us down the hallway.”
Virgil allegedly attacked two Royal Caribbean crew members aboard the Navigator of the Seas and was attempting to kick down a door to a towel room to get to one of them.
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“I was kind of scared,” Mikhail said. “I’m stuck in this hallway.”
Virgil was said to be uttering profanity and racial slurs.
Video showed him shirtless prior to security restraining him, with what FOX 11 reported was either bear or pepper spray, towels, zip ties and handcuffs.
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A family member of Virgil told FOX 11 he died within an hour of security injecting him with some sort of sedative. They said what happened was not characteristic of him.
“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” the relative told FOX 11.
Virigl leaves behind a wife and 7-year-old son who were also with him on the cruise, according to the station.
A statement from Royal Caribbean to Fox News Digital 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.”
Virgil’s exact cause of death is not yet known, but FOX 11 reported that the FBI is investigating the incident. The FBI has not responded to a Fox News Digital inquiry regarding the status of the investigation.
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