A Royal Caribbean passenger who was caught on camera having a violent meltdown died just hours after being detained by ship security.
Michael Virgil died after being filmed in a narrow hallway kicking a door and ripping his shirt as he removed his clothing.
Fellow passenger Christifer Mikhail claims Virgil threatened to kill him.
‘The gentleman that was drunk said that he was gonna kill us, and then he started chasing us down the hallway,’ Mikhail told FOX11.
While trying to flee the escalating incident, Mikhail recalled an employee running into a nearby towel closet to escape the perpetrator.
‘The crew member I was running with was able to lock himself in one of the towel rooms,’ he said.
‘I was kind of scared. I am stuck in this hallway, everybody else was kind of like behind something.’
Virgil was eventually detained – it took several members of the crew and pepper spray, according to witnesses.
A rowdy Royal Caribbean passenger who was caught on camera having a violent meltdown and ripping his shirt off died hours after being detained by ship security
The disturbing footage shows the out-of-control male passenger in a fit of rage, kicking at a door, yelling profane language and at some point tearing off his shirt
But within a few hours, Virgil had died. His family claim he was injected with a sedative.
The 4,000 passenger Navigator of the Seas ship set for Ensenada, Mexico had only left California’s San Pedro port mere hours before the distressing incident.
Moments before Mikhail caught the passenger violently kicking at the door, he claims to have seen the man kick a crew member with his steel-toed boots, and punch another, sending him several feet back.
‘He could have flicked me and thrown me 30 feet.
‘The guy he punched kind of flew a couple feet back,’ Mikhail recalled.
Mikhail told FOX11 that the December 13 trip was his first ever cruise vacation.
The California-native was celebrating his and his wife’s birthday, as well as their anniversary.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in a statement: ‘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.’
Cruise ship security was able to detain the uncontrollable passenger using pepper spray, zip ties and handcuffs
Christifer Mikhail told FOX11 that the December 13 trip was his first ever cruise vacation. The California-native was celebrating his and his wife’s birthday, as well as their anniversary
The 4,000 passenger Navigator of the Seas ship set for Ensenada, Mexico had only left California’s San Pedro port hours before the distressing incident
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