A man accused of using a chair to attack others during a brawl in Montgomery, Ala., last weekend turned himself in to the police on Friday, the authorities said, becoming the fifth person charged in a fight that captured national attention largely because of the racial overtones.
The man, Reggie Ray, 42, turned himself in to the Montgomery Police Department and was charged with disorderly conduct, Capt. Jarrett Williams said in a statement.
Calls placed to phone numbers listed as belonging to Mr. Ray were not immediately returned on Saturday. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
Mr. Ray’s arrest came days after the police charged four other people with assault in connection with the brawl, which broke out last week along a waterfront where a group of white boaters attacked a Black riverboat cruise captain.
The altercation began at the city’s popular Riverfront Park after a pontoon boat docked in a space designated for the Harriott II, a riverboat cruise that was returning from a trip on the Alabama River.
For 45 minutes, the captain of the Harriott II instructed the pontoon boat via the public announcement system to move out of the way, to no avail.
Instead, the white boaters responded with gestures, cursing and taunting, the police said.
Dameion Pickett, a co-captain of the Harriott, was given a ride on a small boat to the dock so he could talk with the pontoon owners, the police said. But when Mr. Pickett, who is Black, tried to move the pontoon, the owners of the boat confronted and attacked him, prompting members of the Harriott’s crew and bystanders to come to his defense.
Soon, a melee broke out, and videos of the episode drew a large social media response, particularly a moment that involved Mr. Ray, who is Black.
In videos, Mr. Ray is seen wielding a folding chair and striking a white man and a white woman with it.
Videos also showed one of the white men punching Mr. Pickett, who was jumped on and beaten by the other white boaters. One of them also appears to try to place Mr. Pickett in a headlock.
The four people who turned themselves in to the police this week were identified as: Allen Todd, 23; Zachery Shipman, 25; Richard Roberts, 48; and Mary Todd, 21.
Mr. Todd and Mr. Shipman were each charged with one count of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Mr. Roberts was charged with two counts of third-degree assault; and Ms. Todd was charged with third-degree assault.
Mayor Steven L. Reed, Montgomery’s newly elected first Black mayor, said on Facebook: “In Montgomery, not only will we protect our team members, but we will protect our citizens. If you violate the sanctity of our community and the safety of our citizens, then you will be brought to justice.”
