MONTGOMERY, Ala. (NewsNation) — A woman who witnessed the chaotic fight on a dock in Montgomery said that most of what happened during the “‘crazy, alcohol-induced incident” was not captured on video.
“You wouldn’t anticipate this happening. It was just an isolated, crazy, alcohol-induced incident,” said witness Christa Owen, who took the now-viral video. “But we did have the only child on the boat that night so we were concerned about her safety once we saw the brawl.”
Three of the white boaters in the video 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.
Ownen’s video showed a large melee Saturday 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.
A white man shoved and punched the Black crew member, according to the video. The conflict escalated when several white people joined in on attacking the Black crew member. A separate video shows that several Black passengers then confronted the pontoon boat group after the riverboat docked, sparking another brawl that was largely split along racial lines.
Owen said she was surprised that arrests weren’t immediately made after police arrived.
“I made sure that I didn’t leave until I saw them (the suspects) in handcuffs and they were sitting on the ground in handcuffs when we left the dock area,” she said. “And I was satisfied with that; I admit I was a little shocked when I found out there had been no arrests made at that time. I didn’t understand that they would have let those men go. But I’ve since heard that they’re warrants for their arrest and charges so that pleases me because that’s what should be done.”
Albert told reporters Tuesday that three men involved in the incident have been identified as: Richard Roberts, 48, facing two counts of third-degree assault; Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, both of whom face one count of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor in Alabama.
One person has turned himself in and the other two have agreed to turn themselves in by the end of the day Tuesday.
Officials are asking 42-year-old Reggie Gray, a Black man allegedly seen using a chair as a weapon in the footage, to come forward for questioning.
The fight took place along Montgomery’s downtown riverfront which the city has worked to develop into a tourist and recreation area with restaurants, bars and hotels.
The Associated Press contributed to this reoprt.