GALVESTON, Texas – A brawl at Carnival Cruise Line over the weekend in Galveston led to more than 20 people getting banned.
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According to NBC News, video footage showed a group of people shoving each other while getting off a ship inside a Galveston terminal under the authority of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The video also showed some people being pushed to the ground and fists flying.
In a statement from Carnival to KPRC 2, a total of 24 people have been banned, and the case has been turned over to law enforcement.
“The incident occurred in the debarkation area under the authority of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The matter was turned over to law enforcement. We will not tolerate such behavior, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list.”
What happened
Border patrol officials confirmed with KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry that about 10 people were detained, but only 1 person was arrested, Ethan Meritt-Clark, 21, of Chicago, Illinois.
Obtained court records claim Meritt-Clark was getting his luggage after debarking Carnival’s Jubilee and noticed a group of people “he had an issue with while on the cruise.” Meritt-Clark then told officers he had previously met them when they were playing basketball a day before, where they had fought, and there were about 20 people in the group who approached him in the luggage area.
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Meritt-Clark alleged in his affidavit that the group came up to him and started “hitting and stomping” him to the ground, but then court documents say he “recanted his original statement” and just admitted to pushing an elderly man.
Investigators then spoke with the elderly man, who admitted he saw Meritt-Clarke shared some choice language but could not recall what their conversation was but noticed the 21-year-old looked angry and just told him, “Don’t do what you’re about to do.” Relatives corroborated the statement to officials, adding the elderly victim was trying to deescalate the situation, but instead, “Meritt-Clark responded by physically striking” him. In turn, they fought back against Meritt-Clark until law enforcement broke things up.
The 21-year-old is facing first-degree felony charges for injury to a child, Elderly Individual, or Disabled Individual and is held on a $5,000 bond.
