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by Sharelle Burt
November 10, 2023
Law officials have been quiet surrounding pending assault charges against the Riverboat co-captain involved in the viral Montgomery riverboat brawl in August.
Court records show Harriott II co-captain, identified as Dameion Pickett, is being charged with third-degree assault, AL reports. While the charges were filed in Montgomery Municipal Court on Oct. 26., both Montgomery police or the city attorney have yet to publicly announce the charges. Zachery “Chase” Shipman, the complainant listed in Pickett’s case, is also facing a third-degree assault charge in connection with the brawl as Shipman was on the pontoon boat. Pickett is listed as a victim in the charges against the pontoon boat occupants.
The brawl took Black Twitter by storm on Aug. 5, 2023. Video footage shows the fight starting at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park when Harriott II crew members were unable to dock the cruise boat due to the pontoon boat being in the way. Pickett, who is Black, can be seen being attacked by the group of white passengers as other Black people who witnessed the attack came to his defense, including a 16-year-old deckhand. His mother, Crystal Warren, stated in a police report that Pickett was called racial slurs during the fight but later changed her story in court.
In a late-October 2023 court appearance, pontoon boat occupant Richard Roberts pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges and apologized to Pickett for his behavior. He even said that he believes they would have been friends.
“I think under different circumstances we could be friends. You might not think so,” Roberts said. “I know you were doing your job.”
According to WFSA 12, Shipman claims that he wasn’t trying to fight Pickett and was defending himself. He suffered from a bruised cheekbone after Pickett allegedly punched him in the face. Out of the five defendants, two pleaded guilty to their roles in the fight.
Roberts was given a four-month suspended sentence where he will serve 32 days on weekends in jail in Perry County. His sentence also calls for 100 hours of community service and court costs.
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