Three pontoon boaters charged in Alabama riverfront brawl

Police have issued arrest warrants for three white pontoon boaters who allegedly attacked the Black captain of a riverboat cruise over a docking dispute along the Alabama River in Montgomery on Saturday.

Richard Roberts, 48, was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, while 23-year-old Allen Todd and 25-year-old Zachary Shipman were each charged with one count of third-degree assault over the riverfront brawl, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said Tuesday.

One of the three men was already in police custody at the time of Tuesday’s press conference, while the other two were set to turn themselves in shortly after, Albert said. Montgomery police are also asking a Black man who was seen wielding a folding chair to come in for further questioning, he added.

The chaotic brawl, which expanded to involve multiple people largely divided along racial lines, has become a national news story, with videos and memes shared widely on social media.

The police chief noted that the investigation is ongoing and more charges are likely. However, he added that the incident does not appear to meet the criteria for hate crime or riot charges.

The brawl was the result of a dispute between the co-captain of the Harriott II riverboat and the owner of a private pontoon boat that was parked in the riverboat’s designated space.

The Harriott’s co-captain, Damien Pickett, remained away from the dock for 40-45 minutes as he attempted to contact the operators of the pontoon boat using a PA system. However, Pickett was met with “obscene gestures, curse words and taunting,” Albert said.

He was then picked up by a smaller boat and brought to the pier in attempt to have a conversation with the boat’s owner. Pickett and a 16-year-old boy who transported Pickett to the pier were attacked by members of the pontoon boat, leading bystanders and passengers on the Harriott to come to their defense.

Thirteen people were detained and interviewed by police Saturday before ultimately being released.

“This is not indicative of who we are as a city. The city of Montgomery is much better than this. Our people are fine people,” Albert said at Tuesday’s press conference. “We about a good time, enjoying ourselves and being neighborly.”

“So, it was quite disturbing that we saw this type of activity happening,” he continued. “And that’s why the Montgomery Police Department and all of our partnering agencies got together to make sure we’re doing all we can to not only bring this case to a close but prevent it from happening in the future.”