Police took several people into custody on Saturday night after a fight broke out at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park in Alabama, authorities shared. A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.
The Montgomery Police Department reported receiving a call about a large group of people fighting just after 7 p.m. on Saturday. Officers quickly responded, and upon their arrival, they were able to stop the mayhem and place several suspects under arrest.
The video of the incident was posted online on Sunday and shows a White man and a Black man, who is reportedly a worker at the dock, throwing punches after they got into a verbal dispute about a boat blocking a docking space at the park meant for a waiting river boat.
As the two men start throwing punches, more join in, and soon at least six White men appear to be ganging up on the Black man as he lies on the ground wrestling with one of the apparent attackers.
The video then shows bystanders running, jumping, and even swimming to the dock in an attempt to help the outnumbered man. Once they get to the dock, more punches appear to be thrown, while some try and stop the chaos.
According to one post from Josh Moon, a reporter for the Alabama Political Reporter, the fight grew when the Black man’s coworkers arrived and started throwing punches at the other men.
It is unknown what the argument was that preceded the fight between the two groups, as the videos only pick up audio of people yelling and screaming as the brawl rages on.
So far, there have been four warrants issued, with more possibly coming after police review the multiple videos of what happened, WSFA reported.
The names of those taken into custody have not been shared by the authorities, and charges against those who were arrested and involved in the fight are still pending, according to the MPD.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed released a statement on the incident, praising the work of the police department and condemning those who attacked “a man who was doing his job.”
“Warrants are being signed, and justice will be served,” Reed added. “As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violence will be held accountable by our criminal justice system.”
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