08 August 2023 , 04:22
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A video has shown what led up to an out of control brawl on an Alabama dock.
Multiple videos from different angles have captured aspects of the mass brawl that was eventually broken up by police at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama.
One video captures the moment riverboat passengers cheer a worker as he attempts to push away a pontoon boat that is preventing them from docking.
“That guy in the white shirt … he got off our ship to go over there to move that black pontoon boat on his own,” says an unknown woman who recorded the clip from aboard the Harriott II Riverboat
“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,” she says.
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“Took matters into his own hands. I love it.”
One of the topless men appears to square up to the worker (notcapnamerica/Twitter)Passengers on the boat waiting to moor up continue to heckle as the argument on the pontoon heats up. Another man comes in to talk with the worker before one of the topless men lunges at worker, appearing to attack him. At this point the worker dramatically throws his hat in the air and the fight begins.
Seconds after the two start scuffling a number of other topless white men charge in and knock the worker to the ground. They start beating him on the ground, which is when more people get involved, developing it into a brawl.
A picture shows a number of people in handcuffs following the brawlIt turns into a massive fight with people thrown into the water, chairs being smashed over peoples' heads, and people being beaten on the ground. In the early moments of the fight, as one man takes on three others, someone is seen jumping from a nearby boat to swim over and join in.
Police were called to reports of the disturbance at the riverfront at around 7pm on Saturday. Multiple people have been detained and charges are pending. So far no names of those involved have been released.
Police were called to reports of the disturbance at the riverfrontDozens of witnesses pulled out their phones and started heckling as the fight continued. At one stage a woman lay stricken on the floor before a man brought a chair down hard on her head. The man was then detained by law enforcement officials at the scene desperately trying to contain the whole situation.
In another video of the incident, a group of men can be seen approaching another group on a boat before more fighting erupts.
As the fight progressed more and more people got involvedA photo shared later on social media shows a number of men sitting on the pontoon in handcuffs. Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed said in a statement Sunday: "Justice will be served."
He indicated that the man from the riverboat was initially attacked and those who attacked him would face the justice system.
"The Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job," he said.
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Although the brawl seemed to start between a large group of white people and a large group of black people, it is unclear if the fight was racially aggravated.
Montgomery, Alabama, has been at the centre of racial history in the US. It was where Rosa Parks was arrested for her refusal to give up her seat to a white person which kicked off the Montgomery bus boycott, considered a foundational moment in the civil rights struggle.