A GoFundMe set up for the Black man seen on video hitting people during a brawl in Montgomery, Alabama has exceeded $250,000 after he was arrested.
Authorities said 42-year-old Reggie Ray turned himself into the Montgomery Police Department on Friday. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.
To date, Ray is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with the Aug. 5 altercation that was caught on camera — and quickly went viral. Four white boaters were charged with misdemeanor assault last week after attacking Dameion Pickett, the Black co-captain of a riverboat named Harriott II, which was trying to dock in a space occupied by the assailants’ pontoon boat.
Video showed Pickett being punched and shoved by a group of white people before the riverboat crew and bystanders came to Pickett’s defense, leading to a melee.
RELATED: Four arrests made in Alabama riverfront brawl, police say
The GoFundMe page was set up over the weekend by Ray’s attorney, ABC News reported.
Ray was “involuntarily roped into the disorderly conduct initiated by a violent white mob,” his attorney, Lee Merritt, said in a statement to ABC News.
“Mr. Ray will continue to participate with the ongoing investigation concerning the same and is committed to be forthcoming about his limited role in the brawl,” the statement continued.
“Funds raised here will be used to offset the cost of certain damages incurred by my clients and others involved in responding to the chaos at the riverfront,” a post on the page says. “These damages include but are not limited to medical bills, lost wages/earnings, professional services, travel, lodging and expenses.”
More about the Alabama riverboat brawl investigation can be found here.
