Three arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday by authorities in Montgomery, Alabama, relating to the chaotic riverfront brawl that broke out on Saturday during which punches were thrown, people were hit with chairs, and others were thrown into the river.
Montgomery police chief Darryl Albert announced on Tuesday that one man is in custody and two others were expected to turn themselves in. Montgomery mayor Steven Reed said none of the three are residents of the city.
The three white men named by Montgomery police were Richard Roberts, 48, who faces two charges of assault, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, both facing one charge of assault.
Albert also asked that 42-year-old Reggie Gray, who is Black, come in to the police for questioning over allegations that he was violently swinging a chair during the brawl.
The Montgomery Advertiser reported that the police chief said at a press conference that the investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible. He noted that no charges related to hate crimes or riot were expected “at this time”.
Albert described the brawl as starting when Damian Pickett, the co-captain of a riverboat called the Harriott II, who is Black, asked the white owners of a private boat, who had docked their craft in the riverfront space designated for the Harriott II, to move, the Advertiser reported.
He confirmed that the riverboat was returning from a 2-hour tour with 227 passengers and could not dock for at least 45min after requests to move the obstructing boat were met with “curse words”, “obscene gestures” and “taunting”, the outlet reported.
The white boaters then allegedly assaulted the riverboat worker, while one Black riverboat passenger dove in the Alabama River and swam to shore to Pickett’s aid. Once the Harriott docked a number of Black passengers engaged the white boaters.
The racial contours of the fight, coupled with Montgomery’s historic connections to the civil rights movement, spurred millions of views for multiple videos of the brawl posted online.
