U.S. tourist kills mugger in Costa Rica
Cruise guests were accosted. No charges were to be lodged.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - An American tourist who watched as a U.S. military veteran in his 70s used his bare hands to kill an armed assailant in Costa Rica said she thought the attempted robbery was a joke - until the masked attacker held a gun to her head.
"I thought it was a skit. But then he pointed the gun at my head and grabbed me by the throat and I thought I was going to die," Clova Adams, 54, said by phone yesterday from the Carnival Liberty cruise ship.
The assault occurred during a ship stopover Wednesday in Limon, 80 miles east of San Jose, Costa Rica's capital.
Adams was with 12 American tourists who hired a driver to explore Costa Rica for a few hours. They were climbing out of the van to visit a beach when three men in ski masks ran toward them, she said. One held a gun to her head, while the two others pulled out knives.
Suddenly, one of the tourists, a military veteran trained in self-defense, jumped out of the van and put the gunman in a headlock, according to Limon police chief Luis Hernandez.
Hernandez said the American, whom he would not identify, struggled with the robber, breaking his collarbone and eventually killing him. Police identified the dead man as Warner Segura, 20. The two other assailants fled.
Afterward, the tourists drove Segura to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Sergio Lopez, a Red Cross auxiliary, said he died from asphyxiation.
The U.S. Embassy confirmed the account, but also would not release the name of the American who defended the group, citing his right to privacy.
Carnival Cruise Lines confirmed in a statement that one of the ship's guests had killed the assailant, but declined to name those involved.
Costa Rican officials said they wouldn't charge the U.S. tourist with any crime because he acted in self-defense.