Summary:
- Assault charges filed against three men in viral boat brawl incident in Montgomery, Alabama.
- Initial altercation escalated into a physical fight involving crew members and community.
- Video evidence shows aggression, including a man swinging a folding chair.
- Men facing misdemeanor assault charges, one not yet pleaded, and NBC News unable to reach for comments.
- Witnesses highlight the captain's efforts to resolve the situation before physical altercation.
- Police chief states evidence does not meet FBI standard for hate crime regarding racial elements.
Several days removed from a brutal dockside brawl in Montgomery, Alabama, where this now viral video shows a group of white men attacking a single black boat captain, assault charges have been filed against three of the alleged aggressors. When it initially took place, the police department didn't have the luxury of the videos that we all have seen now. Now that we have more information, again, more charges are pending.
The video certainly paints a vivid picture after the initial altercation, members of the crew and community jumping in to defend the river boat's co-captain Damien Pickett. As you can see from this new footage, the fight quickly escalates. At one point, a man is even swinging a folding chair. In police custody this morning, Richard Roberts, two other men, Alan Todd, and Zachary Shipman, are expected to turn themselves in.
All of them facing misdemeanor assault charges. One of the men hasn't pleaded in the case yet, and NBC News has not been able to reach them for comment. It definitely should never have even gotten physical to begin with. For witnesses who watched from a river boat attempting to dock, like Leslie May Hoerter, the 45 minutes the captain spent asking the pontoon owners to move their boat over a PA system was clearly in vain. The attitude they exuded was the fact that you are not going to tell us what to do.
We were here first. But there's no doubt they were notified. They knew they were being asked. They had ample opportunity to move their boat.
When asked about the possible use of racial epithets or names, the police chief said the evidence they have does not currently meet the FBI standard for a hate crime. There was a lot of finger gestures and comments and innuendos made. Even with the local FBI, we did examine if there was enough to file hate crime charges on this case.