MONTGOMERY, Al. – One man has surrendered and arrest warrants were issued for two others after a massive brawl that stemmed from a worker being attacked at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama Saturday.
Mayor Steven L. Reed joined Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert for a news conference Tuesday to provide updates following the brawl, which sparked outrage after several videos of the violent incident went viral. In the videos, multiple white men were seen hitting the Black worker after he asked them to move their vessel. Employees and guests were then seen coming to the worker’s defense.
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Four arrest warrants were issued for Richard Roberts, 48, for two counts of assault - third degree; Allen Todd, 23, for assault - third degree; and Zachary Shipman, 25, for assault - third degree. Chief Albert said one of the men turned himself in to the Selma Police Department, but he didn’t specify who. The other two were set to turn themselves in shortly after. Officials said the men are not Montgomery residents.
According to Mayor Reed, the incident was “brought on by reckless individuals who didn’t use good judgment and caused an event that certainly was avoidable.”
“That said, the police department reacted very swiftly and very intentionally to address the matter, as did other citizens in the community,” he added.
The incident happened at around 7 p.m. during a back-to-school event. According to Chief Albert, the Harriott II river cruise ship, which was carrying 227 people, was unable to dock due to a private boat that was in its designated area. The captain of the Harriott II attempted to contact the operators of the private boat via a PA system for nearly 40 to 45 minutes but was met with “obscene gestures, curse words, and taunting,” the chief said.
The co-captain of the ship, who was identified by police as Damien Pickett, was then picked up by a separate vessel and brought to the pier in an attempt to have a conversation with the boat owners but he was attacked and beaten.
“The co-captain was doing his job. He was simply trying to move the boat just enough to where the cruise ship could park,” Albert said.
The department said the call reportedly came in as a typical disturbance and the caller, who was the captain, seemed “very calm and not in distress.” Officers were eventually dispatched to the location at around 7:15 p.m. after receiving additional calls. Four officers arrived at the riverfront at around 7:18 p.m. and three others joined them shortly after, police said.
Thirteen people were reportedly detained and taken in for questioning and interviews that lasted for several hours. Albert said all parties were released pending further investigation but were given instructions on “how to secure warrants on combativeness.”
The department said it is continuing to work with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Montgomery District Attorney’s Office and the local FBI. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are likely, Albert said.
Police also urged a man identified as 42-year-old Reggie Gray to come forward for questioning after he was seen in the video hitting others with a chair.
“We encourage the public to continue to send us additional videos or evidence relating to this case,” Albert said.
Albert claimed that along with Pickett, a 16-year-old employee who was only identified as a white male was also struck by the owners of the boat. His mother reportedly signed a warrant on his behalf.
The department said after consulting with other local officials, they came to the conclusion that the attack and brawl did not meet the criteria for a hate crime or a riot.
“This is not indicative to who we are as a city,” Albert said. “The City of Montgomery is much better than that. Our people are fine people. We have plenty going on in terms of events. Look, that was a positive event.”
Albert continued, saying, “We’re a fun city, and we don’t want this type of activity to shed a dark eye on what this city’s all about.”