A mini-mart in Alabama has been flooded with negative Yelp reviews after claims the owner was involved in the brawl that was widely shared online and has since seen four people arrested.
On August 5, two men were captured having an argument with a Black dock worker near Montgomery Riverfront Park. The incident soon escalated with people jumping in to seemingly defend the worker.
The owner of Vasser's Mini-Mart, Chase Shipman, has denied allegations of his involvement and took to Facebook with a since-deleted statement.
"Yes, I was there but I was the first to try to get away," he wrote. "I do not condone what happened. I tried to stop it and realized that I could not, so I tried to get away."
Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
He continued: "There is a video of me being the first to run away because what was happening was wrong and I did not want to be a part of it. I realize I have a business to run and represent and no charges were filed against me because I was not involved. I know it was wrong and it should have never happened."
Warning: Some readers might find the below images distressing.
The Montgomery Police Department has revealed that several people have been detained with charges pending.
Officials "acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job," Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed said in a statement. "Warrants have been signed and justice will be served."
Reed continued: "This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred. As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violent actions will be held accountable by our criminal justice system."
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.