Overview
- Newly released police bodycam video captures officers arresting Phillip Ortiz aboard the Norwegian Encore in Miami before the ship’s departure, with crew present as he is told the captain is removing him.
- At a hearing, Judge Mindy S. Glazer reduced the charge to battery on an elderly person, granted bond, and ordered no contact with the 67-year-old, noting no indication of permanent injuries.
- According to the arrest report, Ortiz forced open a secured door, charged the man, and tripped him so he fell head-first under Ortiz’s full weight.
- The 67-year-old lost consciousness, passengers performed CPR, and ship medical staff responded before the man was transported to a hospital.
- Police say ship security video aligns with the victim and witnesses’ accounts, while Ortiz denies being the aggressor, claims he acted to protect his family from a drunken passenger, and has requested the surveillance footage.