(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) After engaging in a racial brawl in Montgomery, Alabama, three arrest warrants were issued for three white men who now face assault charges, the Guardian reported.
The brawl, which took place Sunday night, escalated after the three men allegedly assaulted the co-captain of the Harriett II riverboat, Damien Pickett, which was trying to dock.
The brawl took place on the edge of a river, and several people in the fight were throwing punches, others were thrown into the river, and still others were hit with chairs.
Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert announced Tuesday that one of the three men were in custody, and that the other two planned to turn themselves in, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.
The men are named Richard Roberts, 48, who faces two assault charges, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, each of whom face one assault charge. Videos of the incident posted online show a number of black spectators piling on the fight after the initial confrontation, with one using a chair as a weapon. One commentator praised the beatings, claiming “We made our ancestors proud.”
Man buddy got beat like HE owed reparations 😂😂 #Montgomery #Alabama #brawl #fight #funny #Trending #viral2023 pic.twitter.com/BRIJvsqnoh
— Lit Siddy (@LitSiddy) August 7, 2023
According to Albert, the investigation is ongoing, and more charges are possible.
Police have “many, many more interviews to conduct,” Albert said Tuesday. According to CNN, racial insults were allegedly hurled before the fight erupted.
#WATCH A brawl near Montgomery’s Riverfront Park has led to multiple arrests. @wsfa12news pic.twitter.com/PEbFynGhxb
— Brady Talbert (@BradyTalbert) August 6, 2023
“As we identify additional folks that we need to talk to, we will ask them to come in and we’ll try to locate them and do further investigation to see if the charges are appropriate,” he continued.
The debacle has become nationwide news, and the investigation has been complicated, according to Albert, by the hundreds of witnesses who say the fight unfold before them, many of whom caught footage of the brawl.
“I don’t think we’re near finished,” the chief said. “We have a lot more work to do on this.”
He noted that the police have “hundreds of videos and witness statements at this time” and said it was “highly likely” that there would be more arrests.
Unfortunately for the three white men, Albert suggested in an appearance on CNN that he would consider making an example out of them in the name of racial justice.
“Knowing Montgomery’s history, knowing all the civil rights things that we went through here in the city of Montgomery and what the means to the nation, we were very amped-up to get this right,” Albert said.
