Third man sought in Alabama riverboat assault turns himself in

All three men wanted in connection with a brawl that broke out along the waterfront in Montgomery, Ala., last weekend have turned themselves in and have been charged with assault, officials said, as the investigation into the racially charged melee continues.

The arrests came days after a group of white boaters attacked a Black riverboat captain on Saturday. Warrants for three of the boaters were issued Tuesday, and the Montgomery police had asked them to turn themselves in.

Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, were in custody with the Montgomery police as of Wednesday, the police said, and each was charged with one count of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Richard Roberts, 48, turned himself in Thursday and was charged with two counts of third-degree assault.

The Montgomery police said Thursday that no more charges had been levied against the men, but more could come. While the fight appeared to be largely down racial lines, the police would not pursue hate crime charges, they said.

The altercation began at the city’s Riverfront Park after a pontoon boat docked in a space designated for the Harriott II, a riverboat that was returning from a cruise up the Alabama River. The captain of the Harriott II instructed the pontoon boat to move out of the way. Instead, the white boaters responded with “gestures, curse words and taunting,” Police Chief Darryl Albert said.

At that point, Damien Pickett, a cocaptain of the Harriott, was given a ride on a small boat to the dock so he could talk to the pontoon owners. When Pickett, who is Black, tried to move the pontoon, the owners attacked him. Members of the Harriott’s crew and bystanders came to Pickett’s defense, and a melee broke out.