Three white men face assault charges for attacking a black dock worker in Alabama, southeastern United States, during an incident that escalated into a brawl in which participants were divided into multiple rows based on race.
Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert on Tuesday identified the defendants as Richard Roberts, 48 years old; Allen Todd, 23, and Zachery Shipman, 25. One of the suspects is in custody and the other two are expected to turn themselves in to authorities shortly.
Videos recorded by the public show that Damien Pickett, A black clerk at a pier on the south bank of the Alabama River tried last Saturday to direct the movement of a private flat-bottomed boat carrying white men to make way for the Harriett II Riverboat.
More of 200 passengers on board The ship’s crew waited at least half an hour to dock while the ship’s captain and Pickett struggled to get the other boat’s crew to move it.
Albert said that was when a white man, bare-chestedlunged at Pickett, knocking him to the ground and began punching him.