(NewsNation) — The dock worker who was at the center of a massive brawl in Montgomery, Alabama, that went viral on social media has spoken out, explaining exactly what led to the fight.
Dameion Pickett told “Good Morning America” his story, which began with a pontoon boat illegally docking where a riverboat was meant to go.
After repeated calls for the pontoon to move, Pickett was sent over in a smaller boat to tell the group to move. They refused. Pickett said the brawl began when he defended himself after the group attacked.
The fight quickly spread as the boaters, who were white, continued to attack Pickett and Black bystanders came to Pickett’s defense.
Videos of the fight spawned memes of recognizable moments, including one man swimming to Pickett’s defense and another showing a man using a folding chair as a weapon during the brawl. It also sparked conversations about race, as the participants in the fight were divided on racial lines.
Five people were arrested in connection with the fight.
Four white boaters, who police said were filmed hitting or shoving a Black riverboat captain in Montgomery, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault charges. A Black man, who police said was filmed swinging a folding chair and hitting people in the subsequent melee, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.