03 September 2023 , 18:15
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Five people in an Alabama riverfront brawl that went viral online have pleaded not guilty to assault and disorderly conduct charges.
The mass brawl drew national attention as white boaters fought with Black riverboat crew members. Four white boaters were filmed hitting or shoving a Black riverboat captain in Montgomery, according to police.
They have pleaded not guilty to misdemeanour assault charges. A Black man who was filmed swinging a folding chair and hitting people in the following melee pleaded not guilty to misdemeanour disorderly conduct charges.
Montgomery Municipal Court records show the not guilty pleas were entered last week. Videos of the brawl were shared widely on social media and even spawned a whole host of memes, jokes, parodies, reenactments and even T-shirts.
Captain of the Alabama river cruise whose staff were involved in a viral brawl (Supplied)Richard White, a lawyer representing one of the white boaters spoke to local outlet WFSA, saying he wants to make sure his client is treated fairly given the national attention the case garnered. Acting as Richard Roberts' attorney, Mr White said: "My client is innocent until proven guilty."
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Speaking of the national attention the case has received, he added: "That's a scary slope, in my opinion, has no business in a courtroom of law and a criminal matter, really any matter.
Clockwise from top left: Zachery Shipman, Reggie Ray, Mary Todd, Allen Todd and Richard Roberts (centre)"But as a criminal defence lawyer, former prosecutor, it doesn't. The media shouldn't dictate outcomes or put pressure on any agency to decide guilty that should be done."
"I respect the city and the job they have to do", he continued. "I hope you know, we're trying to get all the evidence, all the video cameras from down there and I hope all that will be turned over."
Dramatic footage went viral after it captured the mass brawl erupting (tiktok)Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert told reporters last month the brawl began when the owner of a pontoon boat refused to move from a docking spot designated for the city-owned Harriott II riverboat. The riverboat co-captain took a smaller vessel to shore to move the pontoon boat so the Harriott II could dock and let its 200 or so passengers disembark.
Two of the suspects, Mary Tood and Richard Roberts, went before a judge on Friday (September 1). They entered not guilty pleas during their arrangements on misdemeanour charges at the Montgomery Municipal Court.
Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said the brawl broke out when the owner of a pontoon boat refused to move from the designated docking spot of the city-owned Harriott II (Getty Images)Each of the five suspects has pleaded not guilty. They include:
- Mary Todd, pleaded not guilty to assault
- Richard Roberts, pleaded not guilty to assault
- Zachary Shipman, pleaded not guilty to assault
- Allen Toodd, pleaded not guilty to assault
- Reggie Ray, pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct.
A trial date for all five suspects has been set for September 26. Chief Albert previously said the Montgomery Police Department did not believe race was a factor in the fight and that they consulted with both state and federal partners who felt there was not enough information to consider the incident a hate crime.