Arrest warrants have been issued for four boaters seen attacking a lone riverbank worker in Montgomery, Alabama, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The altercation occurred around 7 PM on Saturday at Riverfront Park. Cell phone cameras captured the shocking escalation of events that began with the solo employee being jumped by boaters and ended with a massive group brawl.
According to ABC News, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Police Department said that four arrest warrants were issued for “suspects who attacked a Black dock worker.”
While police declined to reveal the identities of the suspects, cell phone recordings were widely shared of the altercation, including when several individuals seen fighting on the dock were detained in handcuffs.
The altercation allegedly broke out over a dispute with the dock worker who asked the boaters to move their craft.
Video captured a tense moment between one boater and the dock worker. As the two men appeared to exchange words with one another, another white boater could be seen running up to the worker and striking him.
Suddenly, the worker was on the ground as multiple men and women attacked him. It was until several moments later that a man was seen running to help the worker — and then began fighting with the group.
Eyewitnesses said the altercation started after the Black dock worker asked the owners of the pontoon boat, who were white, to move the craft so that a ferry could dock.
“The black pontoon boat parked where the ferry parks. They wouldn’t move when we were trying to pull in,” witness Christa Owen told the outlet, after noting the dock worker was a ferry employee.
“They just looked at us, decided not to [move the pontoon boat], shrugged their shoulders, and left. That’s when a crewman disembarked onto a small boat to the dock to do it.”
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
After video of the incident went viral, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed called the dock brawl an “unfortunate incident which never should have occurred.”
Reed addressed the incident and confirmed that arrest warranted had been issued on Twitter.
“Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been signed and justice will be served,” Reed posted on Sunday.