Good afternoon again, Chief Darrell
Albert Montgomery Police Department.
Now kind of lay out the facts as we know
them now regarding the incident that
took place on Saturday, August 5th,
2023 at 7:00 PM There were several events
taking place on our historic riverfront.
Positive feedback regarding a school
event hosted by the Montgomery Public
Schools and Hyundai was taking place at
the amphitheater and nearby train shed.
The Harriet 2 River cruise ship
was fully operational.
Operating from a designated
docking space along the river.
The Harriet takes passengers on
2 hour tours up and along the
Alabama River throughout the day.
On this day there were 227
passengers aboard that vessel.
The incident occurred between the Co
captain of the Harriet 2 vessel and
the private boat owner and his family
as the Harriet attempted to dock in
his designated space designated and
reserved due to the gangway access
as well as the mooring requirements,
the private boat that was docked in
its space prohibiting safe docking
of the Harriet.
The captain of the Harriet remained
away from the dock for nearly 40
to 45 minutes as they attempted
to contact the operators of the
private boat via PA system.
They were only responded
to without seeing gestures,
curse words and taunting.
The Co captain was then picked up
by a separate vessel and brought to
the pier in an attempt to have a
conversation with the private boat
owners and or have those boats moved
so that the Harriet could dock.
A confrontation ensued between
the Co captain and Mr.
Pickett,
the Co captain being attacked by
several members of the private boat.
Several members of the Harriet
Two came to Mr.
Pickett's defense,
engaging in what we all have
seen since on social media.
I'll give you a timeline as the way
the calls came in and the Montgomery
Police Department's response.
The original call came in at 7:00 PM
as a typical disturbance. The caller,
who was the captain of the Harriet,
was very calm and not in distress
as additional calls were received.
At 7:15 PM, the call was dispatched
to the Montgomery Police Department.
718 The first units for Montgomery
Police Department officers arrived
on scene with three.
Shortly thereafter,
13 individuals were detained and
brought to police headquarters
for questioning and interviews.
Those interviews lasted several hours.
At that time,
all parties involved were released
pending further investigation,
but we're all given instructions on how
to secure warrants on the combatants.
We have since consulted with and
are continuing to work with the
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency,
our State police agency,
the Montgomery's D A's office,
and the local office of the FBI.
This investigation is ongoing
and more charges are likely.
We encourage the public to continue
to send us additional videos or
evidence relating to this case.
Those can be sent to Star Center
at montgomeryal.gov or at our
secret witness
334-625-4000. The victims in
this case the Co Captain Mr.
Damien Pickett blackmail and a 16 year old
white male juvenile who was struck by the
owners and operators of the private boat.
The suspects thus far have been
identified as Richard Roberts,
white male, 48 years old,
with two outstanding warrants
for assault Third Degree,
Alan Todd White, male, 23 years old,
one warrant for assault third degree,
and Zachary Shipman,
White male, 25 years old,
one warrant for assault third degree.
We have instructed those individuals
to turn themselves into law
enforcement and as at this time,
one is secured and in custody,
the other two are set to turn
themselves in within the next hour.
We are also asking for Mr.
Reggie Gray,
the black male 42 years old,
who was seen wielding that folding chair,
to contact the Montgomery Police
Department for further interviews
and as part of this investigation.
As the mayor said a minute ago,
this investigation is ongoing
and more charges are likely.
We want to thank the public and the
media for supplying the much needed
evidence and video surveillance that
we've received and it helped us to
determine the facts as they happen.
Keep in mind when incident took place,
when it initially took place,
the Police Department didn't have the
luxury of the videos that we all have seen.
Now the Police Department was acting
on statements and witness statements
that occurred as we arrived.
Now that we have more information,
again more charges are pending
available to answer your questions.
But that sums up where we are at this time.