Imagine you’re on a cruise and hear banging on a door. A loud voice booms down the hall—a man is threatening to kill someone. You muster your courage, look through the peephole, and watch security officers pile onto a huge, 35-year-old man. Try as they might, they can’t hold him down. More officers arrive. Things get nasty.

It all started just one hour after Navigator of the Seas left port in San Pedro. Royal Caribbean officials say Michael Virgil stepped off an elevator onto the wrong floor. He may have been confused. But what followed wasn’t confusion—it was chaos. Witnesses say he began yelling profanity, shouting racial slurs, and threatening to hurt people.

This wasn’t bachelor party debauchery gone sideways. Michael was traveling with his fiancée, his 7-year-old son, and other family members.

A hallway turned into a scene of panic

Passenger Christifer Mikhail was there. “The gentleman that was drunk said he was going to kill us,” Mikhail recalled. “And then he started chasing us down the hallway. The crew member that I was running with was able to lock himself in one of the towel rooms.”

A bystander captured video of Virgil, shirtless and raging, trying to kick down the door with steel-toed boots. When that didn’t work, he began savagely head butting the wood. The situation escalated quickly. “He could’ve flicked me and thrown me like 30 feet,” Mikhail said. “The guy he punched kinda flew a couple feet back.”

Cruise security responded with force. Mikhail explained the officers used bear or pepper spray, towels, zip ties and eventually handcuffs. “He was asking for God to forgive him.” Mikhail added, “I mean, I forgive him. I’m not God, but I forgive him. It’s alcohol.”

Little did Mikhail know, he wouldn’t ever have a chance to tell Virgil himself.

Cruise passenger dies after being sedated in custody

A family member told FOX 11 that security injected Virgil with a sedative. He died within an hour. It’s unclear whether medical professionals were involved, or if the sedative came from ship security.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the death and responded with 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.”

“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” a relative said. “He was a good man who leaves behind a wife and 7-year-old son.”

Mikhail was sobered by the news. He publicly addressed Virgil’s family, “I’m very sorry for what you guys are going through. If you guys need anything, please reach out.”

The FBI is now investigating. Autopsy results are pending. But one thing is clear: this cruise passenger died after a terrifying breakdown that no one on board will forget. See recent coverage of the incident in the video below: