WATCH: Montgomery police say Riverfront brawl suspects to face misdemeanor assault charges
Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to reveal more details about Saturday night’s brawl on the city’s riverfront.
In video that has been widely shared on social media, the fight broke out where the Harriott II riverboat is docked. Police Chief Darryl Albert said Tuesday he believes the brawl was an isolated incident.
Albert said it began at 7PM when the riverboat, with 227 people aboard, was ready to dock but that a private boat was in its usual spot. He says the Harriott II’s co-captain Dameion Pickett used a public address loudspeaker to ask the people with the private boat to move, but those people responded with obscenities.
Pickett was picked up by a smaller boat to take him to the dock so that he could speak more directly with those people, Albert said. That’s when he said the brawl started, which was first called in as a disturbance. The first officers arrived at 7:18PM, with other units following.
Video widely shared on social media shows three white boaters hitting Pickett, who is Black.
Albert said while some made racial taunts, the police department does not believe the motivation behind the fight rises to the standard of a hate crime. Alcohol is believed to be an escalating factor, he said.
“I don’t think you can judge any community by any one incident. This is not indicative of who we are,” Mayor Steven Reed said. He noted that the people on the pontoon boat were not from Montgomery. “It’s important for us to address this as an isolated incident, one that was avoidable and one that was brought on by individuals who chose the wrong path of action,” Reed said.
Albert says 13 people were detained for questioning and interviews, which took several hours. They were released with the understanding that charges were pending, he said. Albert says the police department has been working with ALEA and the FBI while also examining the video to determine the charges to be filed.
Richard Roberts – Photo from Montgomery Police Department
Albert says Richard Roberts, who is 48 years old, is being charged with two counts of third-degree assault. He says Allen Todd, 23 years old, faces one count of third-degree assault, as does 25-year-old Zachery Shipman. He says the charges are misdemeanors.
Albert says one of those three has turned himself in to the Selma Police Department. The other two are expected to do the same this afternoon.
In addition, Albert says Reggie Ray, who was seen hitting a person with a folding chair, is being asked to contact police for further questioning.
Albert says the ship’s co-captain was treated at a hospital for injuries, but was the only person hurt. A 16-year-old who was the one operating the boat that took the co-captain to shore was also hit. Police say Roberts is the one who hit him.
Albert says the police department won’t tolerate retaliation for the incident. He says more charges are pending.
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
