Co-Captain Charged With Assault Months After Viral Montgomery Riverboat Beatdown

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., neither Montgomery police nor the city attorney have yet to announce the charges publicly. 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.

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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 could not 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 come 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 he wasn’t trying to fight Pickett and was defending himself. He suffered a bruised cheekbone after Pickett allegedly punched him in the face. Two of the five defendants 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.