*Reggie Ray, the Black man captured on camera using a folding chair as a weapon during the infamous riverboat brawl in Montgomery, will avoid jail time.
A GoFundMe campaign for Ray, 42, raised over $200,000 for his legal fees. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct after using a folding chair to hit people during the melee on August 5.Â
On Monday, Ray entered a conditional guilty plea and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension, TMZ reports. Ray won’t serve any jail time if he completes the court-ordered requirements and pays $357 for court costs.
The Montgomery Riverfront fracas began when a group of white people refused a Black dock worker’s request to move their pontoon boat from a space reserved for the city’s riverboat, which was carrying 227 passengers.
Viral videos show the worker attempting to reason with the intoxicated group and one man punching him in the face. Several others joined in on the assault and reportedly hurled racial slurs at the innocent Black man.Â
As the fighting spiraled out of control, Ray was part of a mob of onlookers who came to the co-captain’s defense. He later turned himself in to the police along with four other individuals who were involved in the melee.
Ray has since teamed with Tammie Howard, another person involved in the Alabama riverboat brawl, to sell merchandise related to the incident.Â
Ray and Howard launched the ‘Alabama Brawl Collection’ after they were exploited when other people capitalized on their likeness from the incident, according to TMZ.Â
The unisex items retail at $12.99 to $59.99, including tees, sweatshirts, hoodies, caps, water bottles and mugs, and Complex reports.Â
READ MORE:Â Over $200K Raised on GoFundMe for Black Man Who Used Folding Chair in Riverboat Brawl
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