Two men charged with third-degree assault following a brawl that broke out on a dock in Alabama, have turned themselves in to police.
The Montgomery Police Department announced the news to USA TODAY Wednesday after a third man, who was also charged with third-degree assault, turned himself in Tuesday, Police Chief Darryl J. Albert said at a press conference. The charges are misdemeanor offenses in Alabama.
Police are still seeking a man seen hitting multiple people with a folding chair during the brawl, which happened in Montgomery’s Riverfront Park on Saturday, Albert said.
Police:3 men charged with assault after brawl at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama
Brawl caught on video, spread on social media
The brawl, which was caught on video and went viral on social media, began when a co-captain of an Alabama River cruise ship, the Harriott II, tried to dock at its designated spot but was blocked by a private boat, Albert said.
“The captain of the Harriott remained away from the dock for nearly 40 to 45 minutes as (he) attempted to contact the operators of the private boat via PA system,” Albert said, adding that they “only responded to (with), what I’ve seen, gestures, curse words and taunting.”
A different boat picked up the co-captain, identified as Damien Pickett, and brought him to the pier so he could try to talk to the owners of the private boat to allow the Harriott to dock and its 227 passengers to disembark, Albert said.
Several people associated with the private boat attacked Pickett after they exchanged words for several minutes, Albert said. That’s when passengers of the Harriott II came to Pickett’s defense. Police arrived at the scene shortly afterward and detained 13 people, Albert said.
All those detained were taken to police headquarters for questioning and interviews, which lasted several hours. Everyone was released pending the investigation.
A 16-year-old boy who works on the boat that took Pickett to the dock also was hit during the fight, Albert said.
“His mother, actually, went and signed warrants on one of those individuals,” he added.
