An investigation was continuing Thursday into the death of a cruise ship passenger who allegedly became belligerent, chased other passengers and was detained by crew members with zip ties shortly after the ship left the Port of Los Angeles bound for Ensenada, Mexico.
The man was detained by crew members aboard the Royal Caribbean ship last Friday. Cell phone video shot by another passenger and aired on various TV news stations shows the man in a hallway leaning against a cabin door and repeatedly kicking it, while crew members try to calm him.
The video later shows the man on the ground and being detained by the crew members, who deploy zip ties to restrain him.
“The gentleman that was drunk said he was going to kill us,” passenger Christifer Mikhail told Fox11. “He started chasing us down the hallway.”
Other passengers told the station that the man — 35-year-old Michael Virgil — attacked crew members and was trying to kick down the cabin door to get to another crew member inside.
Relatives of Virgil told Fox11 they believe the ship’s security injected him with some type of sedative, and he died within an hour. Virgil had a fiancee and a 7-year-old son with autism who were also on the cruise, a relative told the station.
“We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests,” according to a statement from the cruise line. “We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”
The FBI issued a statement confirming it was investigating the death.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed Virgil’s death as deferred pending further tests.