American Cruise Passenger Kills Beach Mugger

Feb. 24, 2007 — -- A group of tourists from a Carnival Liberty cruise ship were held up at gunpoint this week while ashore on a Costa Rican beach for the day. In the end, a 70-year-old American got the upper hand on his 20-year-old mugger.

With the ship stopped in the city of Limon, a group of 12 Americans decided to take their own private tour of it.

When three men carrying weapons attempted to rob them, one of the Americans -- a 70-year-old former military man -- fought back. He put the gunman in a headlock, ultimately suffocating him to death.

A woman in the group, overcome, had to be treated for hyperventilation.

Carnival, in a statement, confirmed the attack.

"All of the guests involved … have opted to continue with their vacation plans," the company said in a statement. "Carnival is providing full support and assistance to the guests."

Costa Rican authorities are not planning to press charges, calling the American's actions self-defense.

Going out on their own has turned deadly for American tourists before. In March 2006, a bus carrying elderly American tourists crashed down a mountainside in Chile. Twelve passengers were killed.

They had arranged for the tour themselves on their cruise stopover, and the bus operator had not been vetted by the cruise company.

"When at all possible, a traveler should try to arrange any type of tour through the cruise ship company," said Kevin Coffey, a travel security expert. "Most of the cruise ship companies go way above board trying to find the contractor to provide the best type of service."

But just stopping over in these seemingly tranquil destinations is also a risk that tourists must be prepared for.

"In all places of the world, including the United States, you're seeing a rise in violence," Coffey said. "You're seeing some criminals in some Caribbean countries, especially areas that have a lower socio-economic area are resulting to crimes of violence."

The U.S. State Department provides updated information on threats to American travelers.

For Costa Rica, it advises that theft is common.

In the Bahamas, a popular cruise ship destination, visitors are instructed that "crime and violence has moved into more upscale tourist and residential areas."

According to the State Department, Bermuda "has a moderate but growing crime rate."

Travel experts advise tourists to enjoy and educate themselves, because they must remember, they are targets.

"We have to understand that most people who live in these countries are fine, honest, law-abiding people, but there's always going to be a small percentage of that are looking to target travelers because they're easy marks," Coffey said.

Carnival said that for the time being, it is doing no more stopovers in Limon, Costa Rica. It will make stops at Roatan, Honduras, instead.