Millions thought Montgomery Brawl meme king Reggie Ray put the “unc” in unquestionably justified, but police arrested the swing low, sweet chair-iot champion. Say it ain’t so!
Source: Ray Tan / Getty
Reggie Ray didn’t start the viral thumping in the Gump last Saturday, but he’s the latest arrest in the chair-clanging clash. Although Black participants in the epic incident heroically stopped a “racially-motivated” brutal beating, authorities singled out Ray for getting too active. TMZ reports police arrested Ray for allegedly bringing Royal Rumble to the Riverfront with a folding chair.
On Friday afternoon, Ray surrendered himself to the Montgomery Police Department. They charged him with disorderly conduct for wielding the symbol of the smackdown like Thor swinging his hammer. The 42-year-old was in custody in Montgomery’s Municipal Jail until his release later that night.
Reggie Ray Becomes 5th Person Arrested In Montgomery Brawl
Ray is the only person arrested who wasn’t in the pontoon pack that attacked Damien Pickett. As BOSSIP previously reported, police arrested Richard Roberts, 48, for two counts of third-degree assault; Allen Todd, 23, for one count of third-degree assault; Zachery “Chase” Shipman, 25, for one count of third-degree assault. Most recently, Montgomery PD arrested Mary Todd, 21, with one charge of third-degree assault. All charges are misdemeanors so far.
Pickett was just doing his job as Harriott II Co-captain when he asked the pontoon to make room for the cruise boat to dock. Instead of moving over a few to accommodate, occupants jumped off the private boat to savagely attack him.
Fellow crew members like the 16-year-old dubbed Johnny Gills came to the rescue as Pickett “hung on for dear life.” Then a Black man with a chair literally swung into action during the likely lynching. He quickly rose to internet fame for going Willie Mays in the melee.
A woman witnessed one of the alabaster assailants yell, “F*** that n*****!” before threatening to get his gun. Considering how deadly the mob violence could have turned, bringing a chair to a possible gunfight seems brave.
An officer stepped in to seize the chair during the ancestrally-charged altercation and then detained him for crowd control. Authorities released Ray pending investigation because he has no criminal history. AL.com reports the man on the receiving end of the chair was cleared of wrongdoing. Authorities said on Friday they believed he was trying to de-escalate the incident.
“This is a fluid investigation. At this point, the FBI has not classified these attacks as a hate crime, but the investigation is ongoing. As a former judge and as an elected official, I will trust this process and the integrity of our justice system,” said Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed.
“However, my perspective as a Black man in Montgomery differs from my perspective as mayor. From what we’ve seen from the history of our city — a place tied to both the pain and the progress of this nation – it seems to meet the moral definition of a crime fueled by hate, and this kind of violence cannot go unchecked.”
The FBI needs to take the vicious attack and witnesses to the “racially motivated” mob violence seriously. BOSSIP will continue to update you as this story develops.
