What did Dameion Pickett do? Charges explored as Montgomery riverboat co-captain charged months after viral brawl

The co-captain of the Montogomery riverboat, Dameion Pickett, has been charged with misdemeanor assault for the viral brawl that took place in August 2023. The charges have allegedly been pressed by one of the defendants, Zachery "Chase" Shipman. Pickett was reportedly attacked by the five defendants after they were asked to move their pontoon boat.

Even though Shipman was the one who had filed the charges, the Montgomery Police Department confirmed that they considered Pickett to be the victim in the case. Pickett added that despite many speculations, he doesn't believe that race had anything to do with the brawl.

The factor of race came into question as all the defendants are Caucasian, while Pickett is an African-American.

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Charges have been filed against Dameion Pickett, who was a victim in the viral Montgomery riverboat brawl, by one of the Caucasian defendants

The chain of events that led to charges being filed against Pickett dates back to August 2023, when a viral brawl took place on a riverboat. A group of men was asked to move their pontoon boat so that Pickett's Harriott II Riverboat could be docked.

However, the group of five men refused which led to a physical altercation where they attacked Pickett. Soon, more people joined in to support Pickett and the brawl only turned violent.

The brawl grabbed national attention and people speculated that the defendants' and Pickett's race were important factors in the incident.

The five men were arrested with two of them pleading guilty to assault while one of the other defendants, Zachery Shipman filed charges against Dameion Pickett. It is worth noting that Shipman was also charged with third-degree assault.

The co-captain has been charged with third-degree assault and his arraignment is expected to take place on November 21, 2023. This was confirmed by municipal court records.

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It was initially alleged that racial slurs were blurted out against Dameion Pickett during the brawl

Crystal Warren is the mother of one of the deckhands who eventually got involved in the brawl. In a police report, she claimed that the men used racial slurs against Dameion, an African-American man.

"You could here (sic) men yelling ‘f--k that n----r’ and the men came down to fight my son," Crystal said.

A witness also gave the same statement about the men hurling racial abuses at Pickett. However, while testifying, Warren claimed that he didn't hear any racial slurs being used that day by any of the five defendants. Richard Roberts, one of the defendants, pleaded guilty and also apologized to Dameion Pickett for his actions.

"I think under different circumstances we could be friends. You might not think so. I know you were doing your job," Roberts said.

The five defendants in the case have been identified as Zachery Shipman, 25, Richard Roberts, 48, Allen Todd, 23, Mary Todd, 22, and Reggie Ray, 42. Ray was allegedly a bystander who eventually got involved in the brawl and was accused of using a folding chair that hit a woman.