Multiple people were taken into custody after a group of white boaters attacked a Black worker on the riverfront in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday, authorities say. Other bystanders joined in the man’s defense, leading to a brawl.
The fight seems to have started after the dock worker confronted a group of boaters who refused to move their docked pontoon so a riverboat could park, according to videos posted on social media.
The incident occurred late afternoon in downtown Montgomery, near a spot on the dock that is regularly reserved for the Harriott II Riverboat, Montgomery’s city-owned vessel that takes short cruises up and down the Alabama River, Alabama Political Reporter reported.
Mayor Steven L. Reed seemed to corroborate the story in a statement about the incident posted on Sunday.
“Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job,” Reed said. “Warrants have been signed and justice will be served.”
Montgomery police told local news station WSFA 12 News that charges are pending and the incident is under investigation as they comb through multiple videos provided by the public and city video surveillance.
Police told USA Today that there are four active warrants out as of Monday morning.
“There’s a possibility more will follow after the review of additional video,” the Montgomery Police Department told the outlet in a statement.
A woman on a riverboat can be heard describing the incident in one video, which has garnered more than 13 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A Black man in a white shirt, who some outlets identified as a dock worker, can be seen near a pontoon boat parked at the dock, trying to move it.
“He got off our ship to go over there to move that black pontoon boat on his own because those guys who parked there were told not to leave it there and they left it there, so he’s just pushing it off,” the woman says.
The worker is soon confronted by several white men, and they appear to have a heated discussion as people on the boat where the woman is recording the video chant the chorus of Ludacris’ 2002 hit “Move, Bitch.”
At the 3:27 mark in the video, one of the white men — who is shirtless and in gray shorts — charges at the Black worker. In response, the worker throws off his hat and prepares to fight as the white man punches him in the face. As the two fight, another white man — who is shirtless and in red shorts — begins to attack the worker as well. As a brawl breaks out, some Black bystanders get involved in the fight in order to defend the man.
Another social media video shows a Black teenager — who appears to be a colleague of the man being attacked — jump into the water and swim to the dock in order to help out.
Many people on social media have dubbed the teenager “Black Aquaman” — and the rest of the Black bystanders who defended the worker as the “Black Justice League.”
Makina Lashea, a woman who says she’s a publicist for the teenager’s family, said in a statement posted to Facebook that the swimmer is a 16-year-old boy who she identified only as Aaren.
“In the face of adversary, Aaren selflessly came to the rescue of a fellow colleague, showcasing courage beyond his years,” Lashea wrote. “We are immensely proud of his actions and the values he exemplifies, standing as an inspiration to us all.”