Montgomery police announce arrest warrants issued for 3 men in massive brawl at Alabama riverfront dock

CNN

By Alta Spells, Devon M. Sayers, Ryan Young and Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — Montgomery Police announced Tuesday arrest warrants were issued for three men in the chaotic brawl at the Alabama city’s riverfront dock that was captured on video and showed punches thrown, people hit with chairs and at least one person tossed into the water.

One of those men has surrendered and is in custody, police said.

The fight stemmed from a dispute over a dockside parking spot at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park between the crew of a large riverboat and the owners of a small private boat, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert said.

Richard Roberts, 48, was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, and Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, were each charged with one such count, Albert said. The chief described the three as White men who were connected to the private boat owner.

Third-degree assault is considered a Class A misdemeanor in Alabama and is punishable by up to a year in prison.

Investigators looked into whether there was enough evidence to charge for a hate crime or a inciting riot, but the actions did not meet the criteria, he said.

The victims in the assaults were identified as Damien Pickett, the co-captain of the riverboat, and a 16-year White male.

Police also asked that a Black man who was seen in video swinging a folding chair to contact them for further questioning.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and the local office of the FBI were all consulted on the charges, according to Albert. The chief said the investigation is ongoing and more charges are likely.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Christal Hayes contributed to this report.