08 August 2023 , 08:13
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As a massive brawl erupted between two large groups of people on the Alabama riverfront, witnesses say they started filming to make sure the "right people" were arrested. Dozens of people say they were "forced to be spectators" as they became stranded on a leisure boat unable to moor up.
Multiple videos from different angles were uploaded on social media showing the fight erupt before eventually being broken up by police at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama. The shocking drama has grabbed headlines across the world and spread like wildfire online.
A witness claimed the fight, which went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, erupted following an argument about a boat that was blocking the mooring space of another vessel, the historic Harriott II, a three-story dinner cruise boat. Reports suggest that, as a river boat employee tried to move the blocking boat, an argument started which escalated into a massive brawl.
As the fight progressed more and more people got involvedAs it escalated, multiple other people joined in, it eventually turning into a massive brawl with people thrown into the water, chairs being smashed over peoples' heads and people being beaten on the ground. One teen - dubbed Aquaman by some on social media - jumped from the Harriott II, which was idling in the river unable to moor, and swam ashore to join the fray.
Christa Owen, 47, was on the Harriott II with her family when the fight began and watched the whole thing unfold. She told NBC: “What was hard is we were all on the boat and witnessing our poor crewman being attacked by these guys, and we couldn’t do anything about it. It was really difficult to watch, and, like I said, we felt helpless, because we were forced to be spectators.”
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A picture shows a number of people in handcuffs following the brawlMs Owen said she decided to film the incident to show the police and make sure the "right people" were arrested. Describing the behaviour of the boaters who refused to move as "inexcusable" she added: “I can’t imagine anyone just disregarding moving their boat two feet so that a three-story dinner cruise boat could park back in that spot.”
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.
One of the topless men appears to square up to the worker (notcapnamerica/Twitter)Dozens 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.
A 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 boat worker on the left grapples with an attacker (wsfa)
Two men square up in the opening moments of the fight (wsfa)"The Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job," he said. 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.