Two Suspects In The Montgomery Riverfront Brawl Plead Guilty

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA - AUGUST 8: The entrance to the Alabama riverfront in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, where the riverboat The Harriott remains docked on August 8, 2023. Three people have now been charged in the large fight on floating dock Saturday that was captured on video by numerous spectators.
(Photo by Julie Bennett/Getty Images)

Months after the viral Montgomery Riverfront brawl took place, two of the five suspects have pleaded guilty for their actions.

Reports say that 21-year-old Mary Todd had pleaded guilty to harassment as part of a plea deal. Her deal also orders her to complete anger management courses and she has to pay for the cost associated with her case. 

The other suspect, 48-year-old, Richard Roberts, pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to 32 days in jail. Roberts will complete his sentence in a span for four months as well as completing 100 hours of community service and covering court costs. 

The other three suspects, Reggie Ray, 42, Allen Todd, 24, and Zachary Shipman, 26, are set to appear in court on November 16. Ray has been charged with disorderly conduct, while Todd and Shipman have been charged with third-degree assault. 

On August 5th, a huge brawl broke out after a Black co-captain, Damien Pickett, of the Harriott II riverboat, informed the white occupants of another boat that they had to move from the dock so that he could let his passengers off of his boat. Pickett was insulted with racial slurs by two of the men on the other boat before attacking him. 

In a statement written to the police, Pickett said that his attackers yelled, “Don’t touch that boat, motherf**ker, or we will beat your a**,” and, “I’m gonna kill you, motherf**ker. Beat your a**, motherf**ker.” “I can’t tell you how long it lasted. I grabbed one of them and just held on for dear life.”

The fight was recorded by passengers before it turned into a brawl after other crew members and bystanders came to Pickett’s defense. Reggie Ray was one of the men who helped Pickett and was seen in the videos hitting the aggressors with a folding chair.