Cruise worker grabs scissors and stabs 75-year-old passenger and 2 guards, feds say
A newly hired cruise employee was arrested by the FBI after federal prosecutors said he repeatedly stabbed a woman receiving medical attention on the ship and two security guards who tried to stop him.
The attack involving medical scissors unfolded May 6 after the worker, a 35-year-old South African man, was caught trying to deploy a lifeboat from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
Ntando Sogoni boarded the Norwegian Encore a day earlier in Seattle, Washington, an affidavit says. The ship was scheduled to make three stops in Alaska and one in British Columbia, Canada, before it was to return to Seattle on May 12, according to the affidavit.
Information regarding Sogoni’s legal representation wasn’t immediately available on May 8.
On May 6, the ship’s security escorted Sogoni to the vessel’s medical center for an evaluation after he tried to deploy the lifeboat, prosecutors said.
At the center, he “became irrational and attempted to leave” and “physically attacked a security guard and a male nurse,” according to the affidavit.
He ran to another exam room, where a 75-year-old patient was inside, and grabbed a pair of medical scissors, the affidavit says.
Sogoni stabbed the woman in her arm, hand and face, then stabbed two security guards, according to prosecutors.
He stabbed one guard in the head and stabbed the other guard’s back and shoulders, prosecutors said.
The woman and security guards survived their injuries, which weren’t life-threatening, according to the affidavit.
A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told McClatchy News in an emailed statement May 8 that the woman and guards received treatment from the ship’s medical staff.
Other security personnel detained Sogoni in a shipboard jail until the vessel arrived at its first destination in Juneau, the affidavit says.
“He became violent without provocation,” according to the Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson, who confirmed that Sogoni was newly employed as a crew member.
On May 7, the FBI arrested Sogoni, and he was charged with three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon within maritime and territorial jurisdiction, prosecutors announced in a news release.
“We condemn violent behavior of this nature and are committed to the safety and security of all crew members and guests on our ships. We commend the onboard security team for their brave actions,” the Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said.
“Senior ship leadership have been actively engaged and continue to closely monitor all involved with the support of senior company executives who immediately traveled to Juneau to meet, escort and assist the (guests).”
If Sogoni is convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count against him, prosecutors said.
This story was originally published May 8, 2024 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Cruise worker grabs scissors and stabs 75-year-old passenger and 2 guards, feds say."
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