3 charged with assault over wild WWE-style attack on Alabama dock worker

Three boaters have been charged with third-degree assault after a WWE-style attack on the co-captain of a riverboat that was trying to dock in Alabama.

Dramatic footage of the brawl on the Montgomery Riverfront went viral over the weekend after Harriott II Riverboat Co-Captain Damien Pickett was attacked by private boat owners when he tried to push their vessel a safe distance away to allow his larger vessel to dock.

On Tuesday, Richard Roberts, 48, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, were charged by the Montgomery Police Department with a misdemeanor, escaping riot and hate-crime charges as the men are white and the crew member is black.

One of the men has turned themselves into the Selma Police Department while the other two are “en route” to turn themselves in, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The chief also said the Montgomery force worked with the FBI to determine the charges, and there was not enough evidence to charge the three men with more than assault.

Albert said the Harriott, who has a “designated and reserved” spot on the dock, had been trying to park for up to 45 minutes before the incident occurred around 7 p.m.

The boat’s captain, who was not named, had tried to contact the boat owners over the vessel’s PA system, but he was met with “obscene gestures” and “curse words.”

Around 7 p.m., the captain called the police to report a “typical disturbance” while Pickett was brought to shore on a small vessel with a 16-year-old male employee — who was not named by police, but whose parents identified him as Aaren.

Picket then attempted to “push” the private boat to give the Harriott enough space to safely dock in its spot.

However, chaos broke out as it “quickly escalated” and Pickett was accosted by the men. Various videos show one man in gray shorts lunged toward the co-captain.

The two men then hurl punches at each other as others join in. Within seconds, several men are seen running to the scene and attacking the fallen worker.

Albert said Pickett had only been “doing his job” when he went to move the private boat.

“There was no need for this event to take the path it did,” Albert said at a press conference. “The City of Montgomery is better than that.”

In another video, a man was seen welding a folding chair during the attack. Police have identified him as Reggie Gray, 42, and are asking to speak with him. They did not indicate whether or not they plan to file charges against him.

After the fight was broken up, Pickett was the only person to seek medical attention, according to the Montgomery Police Department.

In the aftermath, Chase Shipman, the owner of Vasser’s Mini-Mart in Selma, claimed to have “tried to stop [the fight] and realized that I could not, so I tried to get away,” The Selma Times-Journal reported.

It is unclear if Chase is related to Zachary.

However, several people disputed Chase’s account, including former Selma City Councilwoman Angela Benjamin, who accused him of being involved. Chase has not been charged.