Christian comedian and talk show host Ricky Smiley publicly exulted with many black Americans online after a black cruise ship co-captain was successfully defended by colleagues and bystanders after he was violently attacked by a group of white boaters at the Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday.
three white men, one in his 40s, the other two in their 20s, have been charged with third degree assault. the fight seemed to break down along racial lines. the montgomery police chief says the police, fbi and prosecutors looked into whether tht criteri. as they continue to evaluate the video, speak to witnesses, that i may change because that may give them a sense of the state of mind. reporter: incidents occurred about this past saturday. it started when a group of white boaters in a small pontoon boat refused to move their boat so that the harriott ii with more than 200 on board could dock at its designated space. police say the co-captain of the harriott ii, a black man identified as damian pickett, tried to get the pontoon vboates
that means to the nation. we were very amped up to get this right. we ll continue to do all that we need to, to ensure that we get it right. reporter: montgomery s mayor says the investigation isn t over yet. you can t allow your emotions or your initial thoughts to get out in front of what the facts tell you. and, so, while this is an ongoing investigation, so far, the facts are kind of, you know, separating themselves from what was fiction. reporter: erin, right there you see the boat behind me, the harriott ii, as it sits here. there are some new signs to show where people can and cannot park. but there s a lot of questions about how this investigation will move forward. we re also waiting to hear from police about the three arrests. we know one person s in custody. but we believe two others will be brought into arrest in selma, alabama, and then transferred here to montgomery. so still a lot of questions, but obviously a community that s trying to heal. ryan, thank you very
harriott ii was ferried to the dock and tried to get the pontoon boaters to move their vessel. this video shows picket arguing with the white men. there was words exchanged, and then it turned into a fist encounter that you ve all seen. so, the co-captain was doing his job. reporter: the video shows as picket is arguing with that white man, another white man, shirtless, rushes in and hits picket in the face. then several other white people join in. picket is pinned to the ground as they re seen beating on him. the co-captain did receive treatment at a local hospital the night of the event. that s the only knowledge that we have of anybody receiving any injuries. reporter: at one point, a man from the cruise boat is seen swimming toward the dock. moments later, according to witnesses, the brawl expanded when the harriott ii docked. people who were on board started engaging with the people on the pontoon boat.