Montgomery Riverfront Park brawl: What we know today about fight videos, warrants
A Saturday night brawl at Montgomery’s riverfront captured in multiple videos was national news Sunday but many questions still surround the incident.
Here’s what we know today:
How did this all begin?
Montgomery police said they were called at about 7 p.m. Saturday to the 200 block of Coosa Street, the area of Montgomery Riverfront Park, on a disturbance.
“At the scene, they located a large group of subjects engaged in a physical altercation. Several subjects have been detained and any charges are pending,” a police statement late Saturday night read.
Multiple videos posted to social media suggest the brawl started when a pontoon boat stopped at the riverfront, preventing a riverboat from docking there.
Witnesses said a riverboat worker was attacked by people onboard the pontoon boat.
What do the videos show?
A video clip shared by Josh Moon, a reporter for the Alabama Political Reporter, shows the scuffle beginning as a Black man who appears to be in a docks worker uniform talks to a white man.
Another white man — shirtless — strikes or shoves the Black man.
The incident appeared to unfold largely along racial lines.
The dock worker and the man who struck him engaged in a shoving match before the first white man placed a hand on the Black man in an apparent effort to separate the two.
Two more shirtless white men charged in, one tackling the Black man to the dock and the other piling on, rapidly joined by a fourth shirtless white man, one of whom shoved away another white man who seemed to try to intervene.
Two white women also were there, though it wasn’t clear whether they were supporting the four-on-one fight then in progress or trying to intervene.
A large and vocal audience, consisting of people on the riverboat from which the first video was shot, gathered, as did a crowd overlooking from the dock.
In the first video, the fight begins to break up as a Black bystander joins in. Another jumps off the riverboat, swimming to join in.
The first Black man, identifiable by his black shorts and white shirt, is physically confronted by one of the women.
A second video, taken moments later, shows a group of Black men running off the riverboat.
They converge on a pontoon boat that apparently carried some of the parties involved in the incident.
Within seconds fighting erupts again, between two white men and white woman who were on the pontoon boat, another white man and white woman who appeared to be trying to get to it, and more than half a dozen Black men.
Police officers or uniformed security guards can then be seen trying to break things up.
The brawling continued for several moments before tapering off. At that point officers began cuffing participants, Black and white.
Who was involved?
The person seen swimming is a 16-year-old identified only as Aaren, a statement from publicist Makina Lashea read.
“In the face of adversity, Aaren selflessly came to the rescue of a fellow colleague, showcasing courage beyond his years,” the statement from Lashea read.
“Aaren’s unwavering commitment brings immense pride to his parents, leaving him feeling grateful and touched by the strong support of the community. With his sights set on the future, he is eagerly preparing for a successful upcoming school year.”
Chase Shipman, the owner of Vasser’s Mini-Mart in Selma, posted on social media that he was there and “tried to stop it and realized that I could not, so I tried to get away,” The Selma Times-Journal reported.
“I have a business to run and represent and no charges were filed against me because I was not involved,” he wrote, according to that report.
The Times-Journal reported that some commenters disputed his account.
What happens next?
“Justice will be served. This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred,” Mayor Steven Reed said on Sunday.
Police said that four warrants were obtained and “there’s a possibility more will follow after the review of additional video.”
No further update was planned until Monday afternoon.
The four people charged had not been identified as of Sunday night and the exact charges were not announced.
Police encourage anyone with video to send it to [email protected].