Alabama boat fight: People thrown into water as huge brawl breaks out at Riverfront Park
The fight erupted on Saturday at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama, and led to multiple arrests. The local mayor has vowed 'Justice will be served,' and revealed it was initially a boat worker who was attacked
A massive brawl erupted between two big groups of people in a shocking mass fight caught on camera.
Multiple videos from different angles were uploaded on social media showing the fight erupt before eventually being broken up by police at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama.
A witness claimed the fight, which went viral on TikTok, erupted following an argument about a boat that was blocking the mooring space of another vessel.
Footage shows an argument starting between one man, believed to be a river boat employee, and another two before violence starts. As it escalates multiple other people join in eventually turning into a massive brawl with people thrown into the water, chairs being smashed over peoples' heads and people being beaten on the ground.
In the early moments of the fight as one man takes on three others, someone is seen jumping from a nearby boat to swim over and join in.
Police were called to reports of the disturbance at the riverfront at around 7pm on Saturday. Multiple people have been detained and charges are pending. So far no names of those involved have been released.
Dozens of witnesses pulled out their phones and started heckling as the fight continued. At one stage a woman lay stricken on the floor before a man brought a chair down hard on her head. The man was then detained by law enforcement officials at the scene desperately trying to contain the whole situation.
In another video of the incident a group of men can be seen approaching another group on a boat before more fighting erupts.
A photo shared later on social media shows a number of men sitting on the pontoon in handcuffs. Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed said in a statement Sunday: "Justice will be served."
He indicated that the man from the riverboat was initially attacked and those who attacked him would face the justice system.
"The Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job," he said.
Although the brawl seemed to start between a large group of white people and a large group of black people, it is unclear if the fight was racially aggravated.
Montgomery, Alabama, has been at the centre of racial history in the US. It was where Rosa Parks was arrested for her refusal to give up her seat to a white person which kicked off the Montgomery bus boycott, considered a foundational moment in the civil rights struggle.
Brawls often go viral on social media. In July a group of women were aught up in a chaotic brawl captured on camera near a set of poker tables at a luxury Las Vegas hotel.
The footage shows two women in a fierce struggle on the ground. In the midst of the brawl, a man rushes in to prevent another woman from joining the fray.
The fight, involving at least four women, drew a crowd of spectators as it broke out on the casino floor of Las Vegas' Encore at Wynn venue, as other players attempted to maintain focus amidst the commotion.
The footage shows a man attempt to intervene in the ongoing scuffle. As the man turns his attention to the two brawling women, the woman in sweats unexpectedly lunges at another nearby woman, seemingly throwing a punch.
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