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A witness to a melee on the Montgomery Riverfront Park that went viral over the weekend says she heard one of many males who attacked a Black employee of a riverboat name him a racial slur as authorities preserve the assault was not racially motivated.
As of Wednesday evening, police have reported that Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, are presently in custody. In relation to the altercation, a 3rd particular person, recognized as Richard Roberts, 48, has been charged with two counts of third-degree assault and has additionally been taken into custody, in accordance with a press release from the Montgomery police chief.
Cellphone footage from the Montgomery Riverfront Park confirmed a bunch of white folks attacking Damian Pickett after he requested them to maneuver their pontoon boat so the larger vessel, Harriott II, may transfer.
The mom of a 16-year-old boy who was additionally attacked by the mob advised CNN that she heard white males hurling a racial slur at Pickett whereas they assaulted him.
“You may hear males yelling ‘f–ok that n–er,” she mentioned.
Later, different Black bystanders jumped in to assist Pickett, turning on the white mob and resulting in a chaotic scene on the dock.
In her sworn affidavit, the witness additional claimed that Roberts struck her son within the chest whereas he was attempting to intervene and separate the mob from Pickett. The witness additionally said that one other particular person inside the group talked about retrieving a firearm however was swiftly restrained by a employees member from the riverboat.
The vessel’s captain, Capt. Jim Kittrell advised the Each day Beast that he additionally believed the group attacked Pickett due to his race. Nevertheless, police say that they imagine the incident was not racially motivated.
Police Chief Darryl Albert advised CNN that Pickett himself mentioned he didn’t imagine it was due to race.
“We imagine what he’s saying, and what he’s saying is that he doesn’t imagine it was racially motivated by any means,” Albert mentioned.
Kittrell mentioned he was aware of the white boaters and had “had bother with them up to now.”
Albert mentioned he would reevaluate the case for hate crime fees if the proof surfaces.
“If extra proof comes ahead. If there’s extra proof that this leaned towards extra of a hate crime, we’ll amend these fees and cost appropriately then,” the police chief mentioned.
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