Men charged in Montgomery brawl had been ‘trouble’ for riverboat, captain says

fight at the harriott ii riverboat

The three White men charged with assault Tuesday after they attacked a Black riverboat co-captain in Montgomery, Ala. , and ignited a brawl largely along racial lines had previously caused problems for the Harriott II, the vessel’s captain said, and were repeatedly asked to move their pontoon boat so the riverboat could dock.

Harriott II captain Jim Kittrell told media outlets he believed the attack on co-captain Damien Pickett over the weekend was “racially motivated.”

Richard Roberts, 48; Allen Todd, 23; and Zachery Shipman, 25, were charged with third-degree misdemeanor assault in the attack on Pickett at a dock in Riverfront Park, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert said at a news conference.

All three turned themselves in, Montgomery Police Maj. Saba Coleman told The Washington Post. She added that Roberts also has a warrant pending for striking a 16-year-old White boy, and that Reggie Gray, a 42-year-old Black man who was seen on video hitting people with a folding chair during the brawl, has not turned himself in after police called on him to do so.

White men charged with assaulting Black man in Montgomery Riverfront brawl

Authorities said that they had consulted with the FBI and would not be able to charge the White men with a hate crime or with inciting a riot. But Kittrell, who told WACV in Montgomery that riverboat staff previously “had trouble” with the boaters from Selma, Ala., emphasized that he believed the assault on Pickett, 43, was due to racism.

“The White guys that attacked my deckhand — and he was a senior deckhand first mate — I can’t think of any other reason they attacked him other than it being racially motivated,” Kittrell, who is White, told the Daily Beast on Tuesday. “All he did was move their boat up three feet. It makes no sense to have six people try to beat the snot out of you just because you moved their boat up a few feet. In my opinion, the attack on Damien was racially motivated.”

He added to radio show “ News & Views with Joey Clark ” that the brawl after the initial assault of Pickett “was not a Black-and-White thing.”

Neither Pickett nor Kittrell, 62, immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday morning.

Albert announced the charges against Roberts, Todd and Shipman three days after videos went viral of the brawl, which was decried by Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed (D) as “an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred.”

“This is not indicative of who we are,” said Reed, Montgomery’s first Black mayor. On Wednesday, Reed criticized Todd and Shipman after they “did not honor their agreement to surrender to authorities,” and said that police “will do what it takes to bring them to justice.”

What we know about the Montgomery Riverfront brawl

Videos taken by onlookers and spread around the internet showed the Black co-captain, Pickett, arguing with one of the pontoon boaters on Saturday as a second White man charges at Pickett and hits him in the face. Pickett then tosses his cap into the air before the two hit each other. Almost immediately, Pickett is swarmed by several White men on the dock who throw punches while the Black man was on the ground, according to the videos posted online.

White and Black people on the dock and shore appear to jump in to try to help Pickett, and someone appears to jump off the riverboat and swim to the dock to help the co-captain. As the initial tussle calmed down, videos appeared to show a group of Black men confronting the White boaters. That fighting lasted more than a minute, with one of the Black men — allegedly Gray — being recorded hitting a White woman in the head with a folding chair and then being surrounded by police. One person seemed to get punched off the dock into the water.

Police detained 13 people for questioning, then released them, Albert said. The police chief said that “no stone was unturned” in deciding ultimately to not charge Roberts, Todd and Shipman with more serious charges.

“We examined this over a period of time, not only that night but since that night,” he told reporters. “At this time, based on the way the statutes read the laws are crafted, we were unable to present any inciting a riot or racially-biased charges.”

Kittrell has captained the Harriott II for about 13 years, steering the riverboat since it was originally known as Savannah River Queen of Savannah, Ga., according to the Selma Times-Journal . He told the Daily Beast he’s known Pickett for about 10 years during their time together on the Harriott II, a 19th-century riverboat offering dinner, dancing and live entertainment as part of Montgomery’s popular Riverfront Park.

The riverboat captain said this week that the three White men were part of a group of pontoon boaters from Selma that he’s had issues with in recent years.

“We’ve had trouble with them in the past, but just like jokey things,” he said Monday to the Montgomery radio station.

He pointed to an instance a couple of years ago when one of the riverboat’s golf carts was missing after returning from a cruise. Kittrell said the group had taken it and left it in an odd place: the lobby of a Hampton Inn.

“We looked at the Hampton Inn video, found out who did it, and we had them come down,” the riverboat captain told the radio station. “We were going to press charges then, but the police talked us out of it.”

But what unfolded Saturday was different, he said. When Kittrell noticed the pontoon boat was partially blocking the area where the riverboat docks, he asked the pontoon boat’s passengers over the PA system to move the boat “about five times,” he recalled. After he threatened to call the police on the boaters, “they started shooting birds at us,” which led him to call law enforcement, Kittrell told the radio station.

“I was nice as a peach when I was talking to them at first: ‘Please, help me out here, fellas. Move the boat up a little bit,’” he told the Daily Beast.

Not long after Pickett attempted to push the pontoon boat forward a few feet, Kittrell saw his colleague get attacked by the men from Selma.

“We’re 40 yards or 30 yards away from the dock watching all of this. There’s nothing we can do,” he said to the radio station. “About that time, another guy comes running up. And within a minute or so, it was an all-out brawl. And then I saw some more guys coming, and I said, ‘Oh. Thank God. They’re going to break it up.’ But instead of breaking it up, they jumped on him too. So, at one time, it was like six, seven guys on my deckhand that was trying to move the boat.”

While Kittrell maintained that the attack on Pickett was racially motivated, he emphasized that the rest of the brawl, which appeared to be along racial lines, was not the same as the initial encounter. He said he was thankful for the Harriott II staff for standing up and coming to Pickett’s aid during the attack.

“It was just shipmates trying to help a shipmate. They could’ve been little green men, for all they cared,” he told the Daily Beast. “When they attacked Damien, my crew was gonna jump out and do the best they could to help him out. It was my crew against the people who attacked their shipmate, that’s all it was.”

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fight at the harriott ii riverboat

Witnesses recount brawl at Montgomery riverfront

Witnesses say a large brawl that broke out on an Alabama riverfront Saturday was fueled by alcohol and adrenaline. 

Bystanders said the incident began when a worker tried to clear the dock along the Alabama River so the Harriott II Riverboat could dock. A group of rowdy boaters refused to move their pontoon and attacked the dock worker when he untied the boat to make way for the Harriott II.

“They just didn’t think the rules applied to them. It was so avoidable. This never had to have happened,” a witness, Leslie Mawhorter, 52, who was aboard the Harriott II, said in an interview. Video of the incident shows a group of what appear to be white men running to the boardwalk one by one and attacking the worker, who is Black. 

The man who was initially attacked and the people involved in the fight have not been publicly named. 

“Everything just spiraled from there,” Mawhorter said. “I knew something was going to go down, because their attitude was just, ‘You can’t tell us what to do.’ They were going to be confrontational regardless of who you were.” 

A spokesperson for the city Parks & Recreation, which oversees the riverboat attractions, declined to comment. The Montgomery Riverfront is a popular summertime destination with a riverboat, a park, an amphitheater, a stadium and more. 

After the initial attack, several people appeared to rush to the worker’s defense, one of them even swimming from the Harriott II over to the dock to take part in the brawl. Mawhorter said officers turned to the onlookers for help identifying the aggressors. “They were listening to us and to other people telling them who was involved and who needed to be cuffed,” she said.

Montgomery police had multiple people in handcuffs by the end of the melee, which started shortly before 7 p.m., and there were at least three active warrants for people believed to have been involved afterward, according to NBC affiliate WSFA .

Mayor Steven L. Reed said in a statement Sunday: “The Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants are being signed and justice will be served.” 

He reiterated his response at a news conference Monday, calling the fight “an unfortunate incident.” He said police are still investigating. 

Christa Owen, 47, was on the Harriott II with her husband and their daughter when the fight began. She and Mawhorter said they and the other passengers had been waiting several minutes for the group to move their pontoon and allow the Harriott to dock. Owen said the worker who was attacked was initially the only crew member trying to handle the rowdy boaters.

“What was hard is we were all on the boat and witnessing our poor crewman being attacked by these guys, and we couldn’t do anything about it,” Owen said. “It was really difficult to watch, and, like I said, we felt helpless, because we were forced to be spectators.”

Two men discuss the location of a boat at the Montgomery Riverfront, Alabama, on Aug. 5, 2023.

Owen said she decided to record the incident to make sure the “right people” were arrested. Her and Mawhorter’s videos were among many that began circulating on the internet. Many social media users have shared memes and colorful commentary, noting that the combatants were split along racial lines. Many praised the group of Black men for coming to the Black worker’s defense as he battled the group of white men. 

“It was inexcusable behavior,” Owen said, adding that she believes alcohol was a factor. “I can’t imagine anyone just disregarding moving their boat 2 feet so that a three-story dinner cruise boat could park back in that spot.”

CORRECTION (August 8, 2023, 11:12 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the day that the incident took place. It was Saturday, not Sunday.

fight at the harriott ii riverboat

Char Adams is a reporter for NBC BLK who writes about race.

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Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama

Police in Montgomery, Alabama, said three people are expected to be in custody Tuesday on charges including misdemeanor assault in connection with a riverfront brawl that drew nationwide attention. (Aug. 8)

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed speaks a news conference at City Hall in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday August 8, 2023, to discuss a riverfront brawl. Listening at right is Police Chief Darryl Albert. Video circulating on social media showed a large melee Saturday, Aug. 5, that appeared to begin when a crew member of a city-operated riverboat tried to get a pontoon boat moved that was blocking the riverboat from docking.(Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed speaks a news conference at City Hall in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday August 8, 2023, to discuss a riverfront brawl. Listening at right is Police Chief Darryl Albert. Video circulating on social media showed a large melee Saturday, Aug. 5, that appeared to begin when a crew member of a city-operated riverboat tried to get a pontoon boat moved that was blocking the riverboat from docking.(Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

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Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, left, listens as Police Chief Darryl Albert speaks a news conference at City Hall in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, to discuss a riverfront brawl. Video circulating on social media showed a large melee Saturday, Aug. 5, that appeared to begin when a crew member of a city-operated riverboat tried to get a pontoon boat moved that was blocking the riverboat from docking.(Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

The Harriott II riverboat sits docked in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. A riverfront brawl occurred on Aug. 5 when a crew member was punched for trying to move a pontoon boat that was blocking the riverboat from docking. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Three white boaters in Alabama’s capital city will be charged with misdemeanor assault for a riverfront brawl with a Black boat captain that drew nationwide attention, with more charges likely to come, police said.

Videos of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, have proven crucial in investigating what happened, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said. One person has turned himself in and the other two have agreed to turn themselves in by the end of the day Tuesday.

“The investigation is ongoing and more charges are likely,” Albert said.

The fight was largely split along racial lines and began when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the city’s riverfront, Albert said. The Harriott II had 227 passengers aboard for a tour.

The viral video of white boaters assaulting a Black riverboat captain and the following melee brought unwelcome attention to the historic city — which is known across the country for the Montgomery bus boycott in the 1950s and voting rights marches in the 1960s. The city in recent decades has tried to move beyond its reputation as a site of racial tension and to build a tourism trade instead based on its critical role in the Civil Rights Movement.

“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 Tuesday. 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.

This undated photo released by the Alabama Dept. of Corrections shows Jamie Mills. The Alabama Supreme Court on March 20,2024, authorized Alabama's governor to set an execution date for death row inmate Jamie Mills. Mills was convicted of killing Floyd and Vera Hill during a 2004 robbery in Marion County. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP)

Before the fight began, the riverboat captain tried to contact the pontoon boat owner by loudspeaker. People on the other boat responded with “obscene gestures, curse words and taunting,” the police chief said. The riverboat co-captain took another vessel to shore to attempt to move the pontoon boat and “was attacked by several members of the private boat.” Albert said several people from the riverboat came to the co-captain’s defense, “engaging in what we all have seen since on social media.”

Video captured by bystanders showed that once the Harriott II docked, several people from the riverboat rushed to confront the people on the pontoon boat and more fighting broke out. The video showed people being shoved, punched and kicked, and one man hitting someone with a chair. At least one person was knocked into the water.

“The co-captain was doing his job. He was simply trying to move the boat just enough so the cruise ship could park safely, but it quickly escalated,” Albert said.

The police chief said so far the charges are against people from the pontoon boat who assaulted the co-captain and a 16-year-old who got involved. Police are trying to locate and question the man with the chair.

The fight took place along Montgomery’s downtown riverfront in an area where slaveowners once unloaded people from steam boats to be sold at auction.

Now, the city has developed the area into a tourist and recreation place with restaurants, bars and hotels. The Harriott II take tourists on sightseeing trips with food and entertainment, along the Alabama River.

The brawl sparked dozens of internet memes and videos with some joking that the chair should be placed in a local museum.

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.

Christa Owen of Clanton was aboard the riverboat with her husband and their daughter for a dinner cruise to celebrate the daughter’s 12th birthday. She said the riverboat captain said on loudspeaker: “Black pontoon boat, move your boat,” and that passengers also yelled for the boat to move so they could dock.

“They shrugged their shoulders,” Owen said. She said the crew member, identified by police as the co-captain of the riverboat, got off to move the pontoon boat a few feet. Owen said the tension was obvious and mounting before punches were thrown. She said passengers felt helpless as they watched the co-captain get pummeled by several people on shore.

Owen, a stay-at-home mom, filmed the confrontation as it began on the dock. She said as a “mother of many” she knows the importance of being able to document how a conflict started. Once the boat was able to dock, she said her family had to figure out how to get off the boat safely with the fighting going on around them.

“It didn’t have to escalate to that,” she said.

fight at the harriott ii riverboat

Several people detained after fight breaks out at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park in Alabama

fight at the harriott ii riverboat

Update : Montgomery police say 4 active warrants out after brawl at Riverfront Park in Alabama

Several people were taken into custody Saturday night after a fight broke out at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park in Alabama, authorities said.

The Montgomery Police Department responded to a disturbance at the 200 block of Coosa Street in Montgomery, Alabama, at 7 p.m. after a large group of people were fighting. Several people were detained, police said.

A video of the incident, which appeared to be racially divided, was shared Sunday on social media. It’s been reported that it began because a pontoon boat was blocking dock space needed to park a riverboat. That area is the regular spot reserved for the Harriott II Riverboat.

Watch the video to see the massive boat deck brawl that led to several people being detained.

One short video, posted on social media by Josh Moon of the Alabama Political Reporter, shows several white people fighting a single Black man, who according to Jasmine Williams of WSFA is a dock worker.

The only audio heard is from witnesses yelling, but it appears to begin with an argument between the Black man and one of the white men. Another white man rushes and hits the Black man, who backs up and tosses his hat into the air. Then the fight begins in earnest, and several white people begin hitting the Black man.

During the video, one witness, apparently watching from the riverboat, screamed repeatedly, “Y’all help that brother!” to onlookers who were on shore. It appears some people from the shore did join in to defend him, and the video shows at least one Black man dive into the water from the riverboat.

“Get up there, young buck!” yelled another voice on the video.

By the time the swimmer climbed up onto the dock, about a minute into the video, most of the altercation appeared to be over in Moon's video.

A separate video posted by Lauryn Lauren shows scenes after that, as the Harriott II was preparing to dock. A group of people approached the pontoon boat, and more fighting broke out. At least one person fell into the water from the dock. Authorities were soon on the scene and police began taking people into custody .

Authorities have not released the names of the detained suspects. Charges against anyone involved in the fight are pending, MPD said.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel can be contacted at   [email protected]

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Montgomery riverboat co-captain says he was hanging on ‘for dear life’ in brawl

Damien Pickett, who is Black, describes being attacked by white boaters after attempting to move their pontoon boat

An Alabama boat co-captain was hanging on “for dear life” as men punched and tackled him on the riverfront of the state’s capital city, he told police after video of the brawl circulated widely online.

Damein Pickett, a crew member of the Harriott II in Montgomery, described the brawl in a handwritten statement to authorities included in court documents, saying he was attacked after moving a pontoon boat a few feet so the city-owned riverboat could dock.

Four white boaters have been charged with misdemeanor assault in the attack against Pickett, who is Black, as well as a teen deckhand, who was punched and is white. The deckhand’s mother heard a racial slur before Pickett was hit, she wrote in a statement.

A fifth person, a Black man who appeared to be hitting people with a folding chair during the subsequent fight, has been charged with disorderly conduct, police announced on Friday.

Video of the melee sparked scores of memes and video re-enactments. But the footage also prompted commentary in some quarters about how the fight vividly illustrated the racial tension and divide across the US.

Pickett told police that the captain had asked a group on a pontoon boat “at least five or six times” to move from the riverboat’s designated docking space but they responded by “giving us the finger and packing up to leave”. Pickett and another deckhand eventually took a vessel to shore and moved the pontoon boat “three steps to the right”, he wrote.

He said two people ran rushing back, including one cursing and threatening to beat him for touching the boat. Pickett wrote that one of the men shouted that it was public dock space, but Pickett told them it was the city’s designated space for the riverboat. He said he told them he was “just doing my job”. Pickett said he was punched in the face and hit from behind.

“I went to the ground. I think I bit one of them. All I can hear Imma kill you” and beat you, he wrote. He couldn’t tell “how long it lasted” and “grabbed one of them and just held on for dear life”, Pickett wrote.

After the fight was over, Pickett said he apologized to the riverboat customers for the inconvenience as he helped them get off the boat.

The deckhand had gone with Pickett to move the pontoon boat. His mother, who was also on the Harriott, said in a statement to police that her son tried to pull the men off Pickett and was punched in the chest.

Darron Hendley, an attorney listed in court records for two of the people charged, declined to comment. It was not immediately clear if the others had an attorney to speak on their behalf.

The Montgomery mayor, Steven Reed, said on Friday that the investigation is ongoing.

Police said they consulted with the FBI and determined what happened on the riverfront did not qualify as a hate crime. Reed, the city’s first Black mayor, said he will trust the investigative process but said his “perspective as a Black man in Montgomery differs from my perspective as mayor”.

“From what we’ve seen from the history of our city – a place tied to both the pain and the progress of this nation – it seems to meet the moral definition of a crime fueled by hate, and this kind of violence cannot go unchecked,” said Reed, referring in part to Montgomery’s being the site of a bus boycott which was a pivotal moment in the US civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

“It is a threat to the durability of our democracy, and we are grateful to our law enforcement professionals, partner organizations and the greater community for helping us ensure justice will prevail.”

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Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama

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Three white boaters in Alabama’s capital will be charged with misdemeanor assault for a riverfront brawl with a Black boat captain that drew nationwide attention, with more charges likely to come, police said.

Videos of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, have proved crucial in investigating what happened, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said. One person has turned himself in, and the other two have agreed to turn themselves in by the end of the day Tuesday.

“The investigation is ongoing and more charges are likely,” Albert said.

The fight was largely split along racial lines and began when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the city’s riverfront, Albert said. The Harriott II had 227 passengers aboard for a tour.

The viral video of white boaters assaulting a Black riverboat captain and the following melee brought unwelcome attention to the historic city — which is known across the country for the Montgomery bus boycott in the 1950s and voting rights marches in the 1960s. The city in recent decades has tried to move beyond its reputation as a site of racial tension and to build a tourism trade instead based on its critical role in the civil rights movement.

“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 Tuesday. 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.

FILE - In this March 24, 1965, file photo, civil rights marchers carry flags and play the flute as they approach their goal from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama's state Capitol. A new online project by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University seeks to bring the lessons of voting rights to students. The center unveiled in March 2020 Selma Online. Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. says the project will engage students at home because of the coronavirus outbreak and comes as the nation prepares for a presidential election. (AP Photo, File)

Granderson: Montgomery racial brawl video shows it’s not enough to be ‘not racist’

White people shouldn’t just pat themselves on the back for being less terrible than the crowd that attacked a lone Black man on Saturday.

Aug. 8, 2023

Before the fight began, the riverboat captain tried to contact the pontoon boat owner by loudspeaker. People on the other boat responded with “obscene gestures, curse words and taunting,” the police chief said. The riverboat co-captain took another vessel to shore to attempt to move the pontoon boat and “was attacked by several members of the private boat.” Albert said several people from the riverboat came to the co-captain’s defense, “engaging in what we all have seen since on social media.”

Video captured by bystanders showed that once the Harriott II docked, several people from the riverboat rushed to confront the people on the pontoon boat and more fighting broke out. The video showed people being shoved, punched and kicked, and one man hitting someone with a chair. At least one person was knocked into the water.

“The co-captain was doing his job. He was simply trying to move the boat just enough so the cruise ship could park safely, but it quickly escalated,” Albert said.

The police chief said so far the charges are against people from the pontoon boat who assaulted the co-captain and a 16-year-old who got involved. Police are trying to locate and question the man with the chair.

The fight took place along Montgomery’s downtown riverfront in an area where slave owners once unloaded people from steamboats to be sold at auction.

Now, the city has developed the area into a tourist and recreation place with restaurants, bars and hotels. The Harriott II take tourists on sightseeing trips with food and entertainment along the Alabama River.

Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks in 2001. She died in 2005.

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The brawl sparked dozens of internet memes and videos with some joking that the chair should be placed in a local museum.

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.

Christa Owen of Clanton was aboard the riverboat with her husband and their daughter for a dinner cruise to celebrate the daughter’s 12th birthday. She said that the riverboat captain said on loudspeaker: “Black pontoon boat, move your boat,” and that passengers also yelled for the boat to move so they could dock.

“They shrugged their shoulders,” Owen said. She said the crew member, identified by police as the co-captain of the riverboat, got off to move the pontoon boat a few feet. Owen said the tension was obvious and mounting before punches were thrown. She said passengers felt helpless as they watched the co-captain get pummeled by several people on shore.

Owen, a stay-at-home mom, filmed the confrontation as it began on the dock. She said as a “mother of many” she knows the importance of being able to document how a conflict started. Once the boat was able to dock, she said, her family had to figure out how to get off the boat safely with the fighting going on around them.

“It didn’t have to escalate to that,” she said.

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Suspects detained after Saturday night brawl on Riverfront Park dock

Fight began between several white people and one black man, apparently over dock space reserved for riverboat..

fight at the harriott ii riverboat

Several people were taken into custody Saturday night after a fight on the dock at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park.

A video of the incident, which appeared to be racially divided, was shared Sunday on social media.

Montgomery police said they responded to a disturbance at the 200 block of Coosa Street at 7 p.m. According to MPD, a large group of people were fighting. Several were detained, MPD said.

The brawl was captured on video by onlookers. It’s been reported that it began because a pontoon boat was blocking dock space needed to park a riverboat. That area is the regular spot reserved for the Harriott II Riverboat.

On Sunday, MPD said there were four active warrants issued from the fight, with a possibility of more after review of additional videos.

More: Montgomery dock brawl: Racial issue? Maybe. Lack of humanity? Definitely

"Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job," Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed said Sunday in a release on social media. "Warrants have been signed and justice will be served."

One short video, posted on social media by Josh Moon of the Alabama Political Reporter, shows several white people fighting a single Black man, riverboat co-captain Damieon Pickett. The only audio heard is from witnesses yelling, but it appears to begin with an argument between Pickett and one of the white men. Another white man rushes and hits Pickett, who backs up and tosses his hat into the air. Then the brawl begins in earnest, and several white people begin hitting Pickett.

During the video, one witness, apparently watching from the riverboat, screamed repeatedly, “Y’all help that brother!” to onlookers who were on shore. It appears some people from the shore did join in to defend Pickett, and the video shows at least one Black teenager dive into the water from the riverboat.

“Get up there, young buck!” yelled another voice on the video.

By the time the swimmer climbed up onto the dock, about a minute into the video, most of the altercation appeared to be over in Moon's video.

A separate video posted by Lauryn Lauren shows scenes after that, as the Harriott II was preparing to dock. A group of people approached the pontoon boat, and more fighting broke out. At least one person fell into the water from the dock. Authorities were soon on the scene and police began taking people into custody .

"This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred," Reed said. "As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violence will be held accountable by our criminal justice system."

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel can be contacted at   [email protected]

5 Montgomery riverfront brawl suspects enter not guilty pleas

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - We now know what’s next for the five suspects arrested following the Montgomery riverfront brawl that grabbed nationwide attention in early August. Two of the suspects appeared in court Friday, nearly a month after the incident was captured on multiple cameras.

Montgomery police say it all started because a private boat was blocking the dock reserved for the city-owned Harriott II Riverboat. After attempts to get the boatowners to move, multiple people became involved in a fight that resulted in multiple arrests.

Two of the suspects, Mary Todd and Richard Roberts, stood before a judge Friday, entering not guilty pleas during their arraignments on misdemeanor charges at the Montgomery Municipal Court.

“My client is innocent until proven guilty,” said Roberts’ attorney, Richard White, who wants to make sure in this process his client is treated fairly given the national attention the case has received.

“That’s a scary slope, in my opinion, has no business in a courtroom of law and a criminal matter, really any matter,” White said, “but as a criminal defense lawyer, former prosecutor, it doesn’t. The media shouldn’t dictate outcomes or put pressure on any agency to decide guilt that should be done.”

White says the focus now is to prepare for trial.

“I respect the city and the job they have to do,” he explained. “I hope you know, we’re trying to get all the evidence, all the video cameras from down there, and I hope all that will be turned over.”

(L-R) Richard Roberts, Mary Todd, Allen Todd, Zachary Shipman and Reggie Ray.

Of the five suspects, each has pleaded not guilty. They include:

  • Mary Todd (charged with assault) - Appeared in court Friday morning, entered a plea of not guilty.
  • Richard Roberts (charged with assault) – Appeared in court Friday morning, entered a plea of not guilty.
  • Zachary Shipman (charged with assault) – Wednesday his attorney entered a plea for him of not guilty.
  • Allen Todd (charged with assault) – Wednesday his attorney entered a plea for him of not guilty.
  • Reggie Ray (charged with disorderly conduct) - Wednesday his attorney entered a plea for him of not guilty.

A trial date for all five suspects is set for Sept. 26.

Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert previously said MPD did not believe race was a factor in the fight and that they consulted with state and federal partners who felt there was not enough information to consider the incident a hate crime.

PREVIOUS MONTGOMERY BRAWL COVERAGE

  • 5th suspect arrested in Montgomery riverfront brawl
  • Woman arrested in connection to Montgomery riverfront brawl
  • Co-captain in Montgomery riverfront brawl: ‘I was just doing my job’
  • 2 more Montgomery riverfront brawl suspects surrender to police
  • Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama
  • Local attorney says more charges are possible after Montgomery riverfront brawl
  • Montgomery police, mayor give update on Riverfront brawl

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Man accuses riverboat co-captain of assault during Alabama riverfront brawl

The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A Black riverboat co-captain at the center of an Alabama riverfront brawl that drew national attention has been accused of misdemeanor assault in the melee by one of the white boaters charged in the fight.

Court records show one of the white men accused of assaulting the co-captain during the August brawl filed a complaint last month saying the co-captain hit him first during the chaotic melee. The co-captain faces a charge of misdemeanor assault, according to court records.

"I was not trying to fight," the man wrote in a statement. The complaint was filed Oct. 26 ahead of the man's Nov. 16 trial on a misdemeanor assault charge of hitting and kicking the riverboat co-captain.

The August riverfront melee in Montgomery drew national attention after bystanders filmed white boaters hitting a Black riverboat co-captain and others rushing to his defense. Video of the fight was shared widely online, sparking countless memes and parodies.

Montgomery police said the brawl began when the white boaters refused to move their pontoon boat so the city-owned Harriott II riverboat could dock in its designated space. The boat's co-captain said he was attacked after moving the pontoon boat a few feet to make way for the riverboat.

Five other people were previously charged in the brawl. Two white boaters previously pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor assault or harassment. Three other people, including a Black man who was filmed swinging a folding chair, have upcoming court dates.

  • Anniston/Gadsden

What is the Harriott II, riverboat involved in Montgomery riverfront brawl?

  • Updated: Aug. 13, 2023, 1:54 p.m. |
  • Published: Aug. 11, 2023, 5:00 a.m.

Harriott II

The Harriott II riverboat sits docked in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. A riverfront brawl occurred on Aug. 5 when a crew member was punched for trying to move a pontoon boat that was blocking the riverboat from docking. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)

The Harriott II riverboat has been in the news lately, figuring into the infamous riverfront brawl in Montgomery that happened on Saturday, Aug. 5, and quickly captured national attention via viral videos.

The videos showed a Black riverboat co-captain attacked by a group of white people as other Black people rushed to his defense. As of Friday morning, Aug. 12, four people had been charged with assault in connection to the large fight, and another was being sought for questioning in connection with the incident.

The melee was ignited, police said, when the Harriott II, which had been out on the Alabama River for a dinner cruise, was trying to dock in a spot that had been designated and reserved for the riverboat. A private pontoon boat was docked too close to the spot, and the captain used a public address system to try to find the pontoon’s occupants and get them to move it.

The Harriott’s co-captain, Damien Pickett, was taken by a smaller boat to the dock to try to address the situation. That’s when a confrontation ensued between Pickett and some of the pontoon boat occupants.

READ: Montgomery riverboat crew says they were attacked by drunk people yelling n word, records state

“The co-captain was doing his job,” Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert told CNN . “He was simply trying to move the boat in just enough to where the cruise ship could park safely in its identified location. However, it quickly escalated.”

Police responded to break up the fight, and 13 people were detained and questioned for several hours Saturday, officials said. Meanwhile, videos taken by bystanders during the brawl were posted on social media, causing a national sensation. An investigation is ongoing, police said.

READ: Montgomery Riverfront Park brawl: 2 defendants jailed on assault charges

The Harriott II, a familiar sight on the river, might have been taken for granted by folks in Montgomery in the past, but no longer. Recent comments on the Harriott’s Facebook page , both positive and negative, have mentioned the brawl, and the incident has significantly raised the riverboat’s profile.

So what is the Harriott II? What role does it serve on the city’s entertainment and tourism landscape? What services does it provide, and how much does it cost to ride? If you’re unfamiliar with the riverboat, here’s a primer.

Harriott II riverboat

The Harriott II riverboat sails down the Alabama River in March 2013 at Union Station Train Shed in Montgomery, Alabama. (AL.com file photo/Julie Bennett)

What is the Harriott II?

The Harriott II, a 19th-century riverboat, offers public and private cruises on the Alabama River. The riverboat is part of Montgomery’s entertainment district, and was part of a downtown revitalization effort in the city that revved up in 2008-2009.

Right now, Montgomery’s website for parks and recreation and special events touts the Harriott II as “center stage of Montgomery’s entertainment district.” The City of Montgomery website lauds the Harriott II as a prime attraction on its “vibrant riverfront,” and also points to “ballets, sports complexes, museums, civil rights memorials, city parks.”

The Harriott II arrived in Montgomery in October 2008 , after taking a 1,400-mile trip that took about 28 days from its origin in Savannah, Georgia. The Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation paid about $500,000 for the riverboat as an entertainment and tourist attraction, according to a report by WFSA TV , an NBC affiliate in Montgomery. Reports at the time said the riverboat could hold up to 400 passengers.

The Harriott II is maintained and managed by the City of Montgomery/Riverfront Facilities, according to an online brochure with rental information.

Right now, the riverboat offers regularly scheduled cruises for the public on Fridays through Sundays through October. There’s a two-hour dinner cruise on Fridays at 6:30 p.m., a two-hour getaway cruise on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and a two-hour blues cruise on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Food, drinks, and live entertainment are part of the cruises.

Tickets are $30-$55 for adults, $15-$35 for children. Packages for birthdays and anniversaries cost $49.95-$79.95, the riverboat’s website says. The agenda trims to Saturdays and Sundays in November. (See this online brochure for details.)

People board the Harriott II about a half-hour before departure, at 255 Commerce St. near Riverfront Park . Tickets can be bought online or at the box office at 213 Commerce St. At least 35 paying customers must be on board for a cruise, the brochure says. About 227 people were on the Harriott when the riverfront brawl happened on Aug. 5, according to CNN.

Charter rentals for the Harriott II range from $3,700 to $10,500, depending on the day, the cruise and the services provided. There’s also an educational cruise that lasts one hour and has a minimum of 75 passengers, with historic narration and a box lunch, that costs $22 per person.

The Harriott II has scheduled several specialty cruises this year, including a Halloween costume party cruise on Oct. 28; a murder mystery cruise on Nov. 19; holiday cruises Dec. 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16; and a New Year’s Eve cruise on Dec. 31.

Food entrees on the riverboat range from barbecue chicken to beef tips over rice to spaghetti and meatballs, according to the rental brochure, and grill area offers burgers, wings, nachos and other casual fare. Beer, wine, liquor and specialty drinks are available at the bar.

The Harriott II has a rating of 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor , based on 82 reviews. It’s got 4.5 stars on Google, based on 300 reviews.

MORE ON THE RIVERFRONT BRAWL:

21-year-old woman is 4th person charged in Montgomery riverboat brawl

3 white men in pontoon boat charged in Montgomery brawl; Black man with chair sought for questioning

Johnson: Montgomery brawl defenders embody broader Black resolve, ‘Not today, y’all’

Man seen trying to stop Montgomery riverfront brawl: ‘I don’t really think this was a racism thing’

Montgomery riverfront brawl: ‘Justice will be served,’ mayor says as police obtain 4 warrants

Man claims he was on Montgomery riverboat, tells radio host: ‘Made me proud of Black people’

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Rowing club boats capsize off Connecticut, all 19 people who plunged into the water are safe

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Rowing club boats capsized during a fast change in weather off Connecticut on Wednesday, sending 18 teenagers and one adult coach into the cold waters of Long Island Sound, police and fire officials said. Two people were brought to a hospital with suspected hypothermia.

First responders said they came upon a chaotic scene off the coast of Westport shortly after 5 p.m., as some of the people in the water were swimming to shore and others were trying to get into other boats. Police and firefighters from Westport and nearby towns responded, as did the Coast Guard.

Two sculling boats with the private Saugatuck Rowing Club capsized as the water became rough during a weather change, sending 18 people into waters off Compo Beach, Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas said at an evening news conference. The people in the water tried to get on a third, larger boat, causing it to sink and sending one more person into the water, police said.

First responders used boats to rescue many of the people, while others were able to swim ashore.

“This was a very serious incident with an incredibly good outcome,” Koskinas said.

The teens, all male, ranged in age from 14 to 18. Everyone was out of the water and safe within about 50 minutes, Koskinas said. The water temperature in Long Island Sound was about 44 degrees, he said.

The teens were put on a school bus to get warm and were picked up by their parents, he said.

Authorities said they were investigating why the boats capsized, with the goal of preventing similar incidents.

This story was first published on March 20, 2024. It was updated on March 21, 2024, to correct the number of people who fell into Long Island Sound, which was initially provided by local authorities. A total of 18 teens and one adult ended up in the water, not 27 teens and two adults.

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IMAGES

  1. Boat Fight In Alabama: Wild New Footage Emerges Of Brawls Between

    fight at the harriott ii riverboat

  2. Alabama boat fight: Wild new footage emerges from brawl between Harriot

    fight at the harriott ii riverboat

  3. Alabama boat fight: Wild new footage emerges from brawl between Harriot

    fight at the harriott ii riverboat

  4. Who Is 'Black Aquaman'? Alabama Boat Fight Swimmer Becomes Viral Sensation

    fight at the harriott ii riverboat

  5. Shocking Full Video Emerges of Montgomery, Alabama Riverboat Fight

    fight at the harriott ii riverboat

  6. Harriott II Riverboat

    fight at the harriott ii riverboat

VIDEO

  1. Live : Montgomery Alabama Riverboat Fight

  2. Riverboat Battle

COMMENTS

  1. Full Video: Viewer records as Montgomery riverfront brawl begins

    A passenger on the Harriott II Riverboat was recording when a confrontation turned into a fight involving multiple people. News Morning Smile: Clanton Middle School coach and wife celebrate ...

  2. Fourth person charged in connection with brawl at Montgomery riverfront

    It all began around 7 p.m. Saturday when the Harriott II riverboat - carrying 227 passengers - returned to the waterfront and tried to dock in its designated, reserved spot but found the ...

  3. Montgomery Riverfront brawl

    On August 5, 2023 around 7:00 p.m., the riverboat Harriott II, carrying 227 passengers, returned to the Riverfront Park dock on the Alabama River in Montgomery, Alabama. In an interview with CNN, a white man identified as the captain of the Harriott II, stated the vessel had just completed the "5 to 7" cruise. The captain explained that a moored pontoon boat prevented the exit ramp of the ...

  4. Men charged in Montgomery riverboat brawl caused 'trouble' before

    Kittrell has captained the Harriott II for about 13 years, steering the riverboat since it was originally known as Savannah River Queen of Savannah, Ga., according to the Selma Times-Journal. He ...

  5. Woman involved in Montgomery riverfront brawl sentenced to anger ...

    Police said Pickett, the Black co-captain of the Harriott II, and the 16-year-old White boy who helped take Pickett to the dock to try to speak with the owner of the private boat were both assaulted.

  6. Montgomery Riverfront brawl: 4 suspects being charged with ...

    4 people are being charged with assault for the waterfront brawl in Montgomery. A screenshot from one of the videos of the brawl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday. The video shows a fight that ...

  7. Black Alabama boat captain, in middle of wild brawl caught in viral

    Dameion Pickett, whom police have identified as co-captain of the Harriott II riverboat, was summoned to appear before a magistrate on Nov. 21 on allegations of assault in the third degree, a ...

  8. Witnesses recount brawl at Montgomery riverfront

    Bystanders said the incident began when a worker tried to clear the dock along the Alabama River so the Harriott II Riverboat could dock. A group of rowdy boaters refused to move their pontoon and ...

  9. Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights

    The Harriott II riverboat sits docked in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. A riverfront brawl occurred on Aug. 5 when a crew member was punched for trying to move a pontoon boat that was blocking the riverboat from docking. ... The fight was largely split along racial lines and began when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II ...

  10. Montgomery riverboat fight: Several detained after brawl in Alabama

    A separate video posted by Lauryn Lauren shows scenes after that, as the Harriott II was preparing to dock. A group of people approached the pontoon boat, and more fighting broke out. At least one ...

  11. Arrest warrants issued for 3 men in massive fight at Montgomery ...

    The chief's press conference provided further details on the fight that has been widely shared on social media the past few days. The incident began at about 7 p.m. Saturday when the Harriott II ...

  12. Montgomery riverboat co-captain says he was hanging on 'for dear life

    Damein Pickett, a crew member of the Harriott II in Montgomery, described the brawl in a handwritten statement to authorities included in court documents, saying he was attacked after moving a ...

  13. The riverfront brawl in Alabama reignites national debate over race

    Another Harriott II crew member, Crystal Warren, witnessed the incident from aboard the riverboat. Her son is the 16-year-old deckhand, who was allegedly assaulted by people associated with the ...

  14. Riverfront brawl brings attention to historic city in Alabama

    The fight was largely split along racial lines and began when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the city's riverfront, Albert said.

  15. Suspects detained after Saturday night brawl on Riverfront Park dock

    That area is the regular spot reserved for the Harriott II Riverboat. On Sunday, MPD said there were four active warrants issued from the fight, with a possibility of more after review of ...

  16. 5 Montgomery riverfront brawl suspects enter not guilty pleas

    A passenger on the Harriott II Riverboat was recording when a confrontation turned into a fight involving multiple people. Two of the suspects, Mary Todd and Richard Roberts, stood before a judge ...

  17. Riverboat co-captain charged with assault after Alabama ...

    "I was not trying to fight," the man wrote in a statement. The complaint was filed Oct. 26 ahead of the man's Nov. 16 trial on a misdemeanor assault charge of hitting and kicking the riverboat co ...

  18. What is the Harriott II, riverboat involved in Montgomery riverfront

    The Harriott II riverboat sits docked in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. A riverfront brawl occurred on Aug. 5 when a crew member was punched for trying to move a pontoon boat that was ...

  19. 'I went to work to work, not to be in a fight or get jumped on ...

    A riverboat crew member involved in a massive brawl on a popular riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama, said he was just doing his job when he found himself involved in the fight that gained ...

  20. 3 facing charges in Alabama riverfront brawl that drew nationwide attention

    The fight was largely split along racial lines and began when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the city's riverfront, Albert said.

  21. Harriott II Riverboat

    Re-live history while enjoying a relaxing cruise on one of Montgomery's greatest downtown attractions, the Harriott II. Docked beside the uniquely built Riverwalk Amphitheater, this elegant 19th Century riverboat is center stage of Montgomery's entertainment district.

  22. Harriott II Riverboat

    The Harriott II has a NO REFUND POLICY. Tickets must be purchased a minimum of 48-hours in advance for any cruise serving a meal. Tickets may be picked up 30-minutes prior to departure at the ticket booth at the corner of Tallapoosa and Commerce Streets, at the Tunnel Entrance to Riverfront Park. The minimum limit for cruising is 35 paying ...

  23. 2 hospitalized, 27 safe after rowing club boats capsize off Connecticut

    WESTPORT, Conn. — Rowing club boats capsized during a fast change in weather off Connecticut on Wednesday, sending 27 teenagers and two adults into the cold waters of Long Island Sound, police ...

  24. Montgomery riverboat captain describes dispute with private boat ...

    Video Ad Feedback. Montgomery riverboat captain describes dispute with private boat before brawl. Link Copied! Jim Kittrell, captain of the Harriott II Riverboat in Montgomery, AL, speaks out for ...