Alabama riverboat brawl explained: What happened and why did the viral fight start?

The viral brawl that unfolded at a riverfront in Montgomery, Alabama has captured the attention of the internet in recent days, but how did it all start? Here’s what we know. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few days, you’ll have very likely seen the viral riverfront front fight videos that have been shared all around social media.

The mass brawl happened in Montgomery, Alabama as boaters from different vessels clashed on the riverfront, and others got involved. New angles from the incident seem to be popping up all the time, with men stepping in – well, swimming in – to help a security guard from a 4-on-1 fight. 

In fact, it’s gone so viral over the last few days that it’s even spawned numerous parodies and led to a host of trending terms on Twitter. But, how did it all start and what’s happened since? Here’s what we know.

How did the viral Montgomery Riverfront brawl start?

According to the video and those claiming to be eyewitnesses, the brawl started because of an argument between white boaters and a black employee working at the dock.

Police have not confirmed if this was the case, only confirming that they were asked to report to a disturbance at around 7 pm on Saturday evening. That’s when they came across the brawl and intervened. 

Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed confirmed that policed detained “several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job” and that police will be investigating the “intolerable actions” further. 

Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been signed and justice will be served.

This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred. As our police… pic.twitter.com/5cywOwA6Uz

— Mayor Steven L. Reed (@MayorofMgm) August 6, 2023

Has anyone been arrested?

The identities of the people involved have, as of writing, not yet been fully confirmed. Though, police have confirmed that the man reported to be a dock worker is, in fact, just that. 

The initial video was posted to Facebook by a reporter with the Alabama Political Reporter, showing eyewitnesses calling for people to help the dock worker. 

In subsequent clips posted by other social media users, you can see folding chairs being used like its a professional wrestling match. There are even nicknames for the people involved including Scuba Gooding Jr and Ja’Michael Phelps – among others.

Black Aquaman/Ja’Michael Phelps was really out there carrying. pic.twitter.com/8pqHYerX0R

— ThereGoTerry (@ThereGoTerry) August 7, 2023

There are also images of people being detained by police, including at least one female, but again, these people haven’t all been named.