Two Kids Were Playing Tag on a Carnival Ship - a Passenger Is Charged With Hitting Them

A Game of Tag on the Carnival Glory

Two children were playing tag aboard the Carnival Glory when, police say, a passenger running down the same hallway struck one of them in the face and the other in the stomach. David Lawrence Crosby II, 44, was later charged with two counts of child abuse, and told officers he was too drunk to remember any of it.

The setting is what makes the case land: a family cruise, a hallway, a game children play everywhere, interrupted by an adult stranger. The question it raises is how an intoxicated passenger got that far before anyone stopped him.

Two Children and a Bloody Lip

The children were not related to Crosby, according to the reporting, and they were doing nothing more than playing when the encounter happened. One child was left with a bloody lip and complained of head pain. The other was struck in the stomach.

Those specific injuries, to two young passengers on a trip meant for families, are the human center of the case. They also explain why the ship’s response escalated quickly from a disturbance to a matter for law enforcement.

From Cabin Confinement to a Port Canaveral Arrest

The incident happened on July 26 aboard the Carnival Glory, which was sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas. Crosby was confined to his cabin for the remainder of the voyage, a shipboard containment step taken before the vessel returned to port.

Carnival described its response in a brief statement. ‘Our security team responded immediately to an incident involving an intoxicated guest aboard Carnival Glory on July 26,’ the company said. When the ship returned, Crosby was arrested on July 27 by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. He told officers he was ‘heavily intoxicated’ and did not remember hitting the children.

Two Counts and a Quick Release

Crosby was charged with two counts of child abuse and released on July 29 after posting a $20,000 bond, set at $10,000 per count, according to the reporting. He pleaded not guilty on July 30, and an arraignment is scheduled for August 25.

He has not been convicted, and his statement to police that he does not remember the incident is not a defense the court has weighed. The charges describe what prosecutors intend to prove, not a settled outcome.

What Happens on August 25

The next fixed point in the case is the August 25 arraignment, where the two child-abuse counts move forward in court. Left open in the meantime is the part parents tend to fixate on: how an intoxicated adult ended up in a hallway where children were playing on a ship marketed as a family vacation, and what, if anything, could have caught it sooner.

References: Heavily Intoxicated Man Arrested After Allegedly Beating Children Aboard Carnival Cruise Ship, Police Say

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