Alabama riverboat brawl deckhand says he was just ‘trying to do his job’ when crew of four jumped him

The sailor attacked last month during a viral riverboat brawl in Alabama said today he was just “trying to do his job” when he was jumped and racial slurs hurled at him.

Dameion Pickett, 43, was attacked on August 5 while trying to dock the Harriott II, a riverboat in Montgomery, Alabama.

A private pontoon was illegally parked at the site of the tourist boat.

Pickett moved the other boat slightly to make room for the Harriott II, and was then attacked by four white people who he said shouted racial slurs as they beat him.

Pickett was confronted after moving another group’s pontoon in Montgomery, Alabama

One of the men from the other group punched him out of nowhere, while others filmed on the Harriott II

The group jumped Pickett, threw him to the ground and shouted racial slurs, according to witnesses

Once the Harriott was docked, others jumped in to join the fight. Four people were charged with assaulting Pickett.

In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America On Monday, Pickett and two of his colleagues said they never expected the encounter to become so violent.

“This man just put his hand on me. I was like… it’s my job, but at the same time I’m still defending myself. So when he touched me, I was like, ‘It’s on,'” Pickett said.

After being ignored by the group, the captain of the Harriott II ordered Pickett to do it for them.

“(I) actually just moved it one, two, four steps to the right, that’s all,” he said, adding that he was concerned not only about the passengers on his boat, but also about the other group’s pontoon .

Mary Todd, 21, turned herself in last month, along with her boyfriend Zachary Shipman

DailyMail.com can reveal the mugshots of Allen Todd, 23, and Richard Roberts was also charged

“If our boat hit theirs it would sink,” he said.

Pickett was immediately violently confronted by the owners of the other boat, who almost immediately began beating him.

Roshein “Rahrah” Carlton, who works as a steward on the Harriott II and has been a friend of Pickett for years, said he heard the group of white boat owners shouting racial slurs.

“It is our duty as… as our colleague, as a team, to go and help him and assist him,” he said.

Sixteen-year-old Aaren Hamilton-Rudolph, who was working on the boat, jumped into the water and swam to Pickett when he saw he was being attacked

Hamilton-Rudolph had only been on the job for two weeks but said he felt compelled to help when he saw his colleague being attacked

Pickett, Hamilton-Rudolph and Roshein ‘Rahrah’ Carlton, (right) who works as a steward on the Harriott II and is a long-time friend of Pickett, on Monday morning

The four people charged so far are in handcuffs on the dock

Dozens eventually joined the fight, including 16-year-old Aaren Hamilton-Rudolph, who was working on the Harriott II and was filmed jumping into the water and swimming to the dock to help Pickett.

He had only been employed for two weeks at the time, but felt compelled to intervene.

“When they first started attacking him, no one helped. I couldn’t just stand by and let him get beat up. Everyone else was just recording it,” he said.

Pickett said he is grateful he was not injured more seriously.

“I’ve got a few bumps and bruises here and there, I’m here by the grace of God.

“I went to work to work, not to have a fight or get jumped,” he said.

Zachary Shipman, Mary Todd, Richard Roberts and Allen Todd were all charged with assault.

They are due to appear in court this week. Lawyers representing part of the group previously denied that racist comments were made.

A woman at the Alabama riverside brawl says she heard a white assailant say “F**k that n*****” to the black sailor at the center of the shocking incident