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2 more boaters arrested in Alabama riverside brawl

Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, turned themselves in on Wednesday.
Posted at 11:21 AM, Aug 10, 2023

Two more people have been arrested in connection to the riverside brawl in Alabama. 

Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, turned themselves in on Wednesday. The two men, along with 48-year-old Richard Roberts, face assault charges after an attack on a Black co-captain of a riverboat and a dock worker. 

The fight broke out on Saturday after the owners of a private boat ignored warnings for nearly an hour from the co-captain of the ferry to move their vessel from the spot where that riverboat docks.

Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert told Scripps News on Thursday that his department is investigating reports that the attack was racially motivated.

However, he noted the high bar to charge someone with a federal hate crime.

Here's what police say really happened with the Alabama riverfront dock brawl
A man punches another man.

Here's what police say really happened with the Alabama riverfront dock brawl

Montgomery Police Department gave an update on the brawl that occurred on its riverside dock.

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"Right now, based on the threshold of an investigation leading toward racial bias, it's just not there," he said. "You know, if it rises to that, we'll amend the charges."

Albert added that detectives are going through surveillance video and they expect to make more arrests.  

The incident has gone viral, with spoofs and memes making the rounds on the internet. Albert said he doesn't want that the be the impression people have of Montgomery. 

"You know, this has gone viral, of course, it's put the negative attention here to the City of Montgomery, but that's not who we are," Albert said.