Two crew members were injured, and others ran to hide from a drunk passenger who began terrorizing them onboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Navigator of the Seas. The incident happened in the guest corridors less than an hour after the ship departed the port of San Pedro.
Update: Royal Caribbean Passenger Death
Michael Virgil, a passenger aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, tragically passed away shortly after being detained following a chaotic incident on the ship.
According to passenger Christifer Mikhail, who witnessed the attack, the man was drunk and shouting that he was “going to kill us,” before chasing people down the hallway. Mikhail explained that one crew member he was running with managed to lock himself in a nearby towel room. The man, wearing steel-toe boots, kicked one crew member in the face and punched another. “The guy who got punched kind of flew a few feet back,” Mikhail told FOX News.
FOX 11 released a video showing the passenger attempting to kick down one of the doors in a violent outburst
The ship’s security team eventually subdued the man, placing him in custody using zip ties and handcuffs. Witnesses described the security response as being similar to a SWAT operation, as the team set up a barrier and waited for the man to exhaust himself before apprehending him.
Four Incidents of Passenger Violence Against Crew Members in Four Months
In the past four months, several incidents involving passenger attacks on crew members have been reported:
September: A crew member was viciously attacked by a passenger over a drink package dispute. The passenger repeatedly struck the waiter in the face with a glass bottle, causing severe injuries that resulted in permanent facial damage. The victim reported the incident to the border police at the next port of call and filed a complaint against the passenger.
November: Onboard Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady, a passenger was arrested after assaulting a female crew member without provocation. According to police, the passenger sprayed a chemical into the crew member's face, causing injuries severe enough to require hospitalization, with concerns that the victim might lose her eyesight.
The Same Month: A Norwegian Cruise Line crew member was physically attacked by a passenger, sustaining head injuries. The onboard doctor examined the crew member's condition immediately after the incident, while the guest was detained and disembarked in the next port.
