Elderly Carnival Cruise Guest Kills Mugger with Bare Hands

On Friday (Feb. 23) attempts to rob a group of American people on vacation in Costa Rica were promptly foiled by one 70-ish "elderly" tourist. The police arrived, but needed little help in apprehending the assailant---because he was dead.

VACATION GONE WRONG

According to police chief Luis Hernandez, the older gentleman (who he refused to name publicly) swooped into action when three men donning ski masks attacked a van carrying twelve American tourists. Earlier that day, the tourists had finished debarking their Carnival Liberty cruise ship, and had hired a van to transport them to one of the Caribbean beaches.

The attack occurred during a stopover last Wednesday approximately 80 miles outside of Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. One of the passengers, identified as 54 year-old Clova Adams reported that one of the would-be robbers held a gun to her head, while the other two brandished knives. Adams believed the incident to be a joke until the assailant's gun was pointed at her head.

A HERO EMERGES

At this point, a man in his 70s jumped out of the van, and per police chief Hernandez, put the gunman in a headlock. During the struggle between the two men, the older gentleman broke the robber's collarbone. The robber, identified as 20 year-old Warner Segura was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. According to Red Cross employee Sergio Lopez, the exact cause of death was asphyxiation. The other two men escaped the scene.

The man in his 70's, it has been confirmed, is a U.S. military veteran who was specifically trained in self-defense. The U.S. Embassy also refuses to name this brave gentleman, out of respect for his privacy. Additionally, authorities in Costa Rica have stated that they will not charge the veteran hero with any crimes, as he acted completely in self-defense. The deceased man's mother has admitted that she always believed she would receive "bad news" regarding her son's activities; but she laments that the tourists took the law into their own hands, claiming that her son could ultimately have been saved.

The other tourists on the van did indeed have a part in their self-defense. Though at least two shots were fired during the incident, some of the other guests were able to divert the bullets away by holding the man's weapon hand toward the ceiling of the van. The cruise ship ultimately delayed its departure from the port until all members of the tour group had boarded the ship. Attempts to obtain reports from other tour group members have been unsuccessful.