4th person charged in riverside brawl in Alabama that drew national attention

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Police in Alabama said Thursday that a fourth person has been arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge in connection with a riverside brawl that drew national attention.

Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said the 21-year-old woman turned herself in to be arrested. She is the fourth person charged with assaulting a Black riverboat crew co-captain in a riverside brawl in Alabama’s capital city.

The melee, where sides largely broke down along racial lines, began Saturday evening when a moored pontoon boat blocked the city-owned Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the riverfront so more than 200 passengers could disembark.

The riverboat co-captain took another vessel to shore to move the pontoon boat and was attacked by several white people from the private boat, police said. Video showed him being punched and shoved. Riverboat crew members later confronted the pontoon boat party, and more fighting broke out, police said.

Video of the brawl circulated on social media and put a national spotlight on Alabama’s capital city.