DPD: Cop assaulted in drunken crowd, 5 arrested at Point Mallard

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Five people were arrested over the weekend after a drunken incident on the beach at Point Mallard Water Park between boaters and Decatur Police Department officers, according to officials.

Decatur Police told News 19 there were several issues during the 2021 water park season, and so far this season with boaters pulling up to the beach area to drink, smoke marijuana, litter and more.

On Sunday, June 5, around 1:30 p.m. officials said employees told officers working the water park that boaters were on the beach area drinking, smoking, playing profane music loudly, cursing and throwing trash on the beach. The officers ask that they move away from the beach and the boaters did, according to police.

Officials said that around 5:30 p.m. managers at Point Mallard were told by parkgoers that boaters were back on the beach doing the above-mentioned activities and that they also witnessed sexual acts being performed by women on one of the boats.

Officers responding to the complaint said they could hear the music a distance away from the beach, near the dressing room area of the park. When they arrived at the beach they found the music coming from a boat that had backed up to the sand, several apparently drunk people with open alcohol containers and two boats that were tied together about 10 yards offshore but did not see any sexual acts taking place, according to Decatur Police.

Law enforcement said they had a hard time communicating with the boat owner playing the music because of the loud volume, which was turned down and then back up again. While trying to arrest the boat owner, one of the officers was pushed from behind and splashed in the face, according to police.

Police told News 19 that the man who pushed and splashed the officer swam away to a boat in deeper water to prevent being arrested, while on the boat he taunted officers and excited the crowd to become more disorderly. They said that while attempting to get to the man on the boat, the officer removed his vest and portable radio and left them unattended then another person on the beach threw the radio into the water.

Officials said the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office boat unit responded to the officers’ call for assistance and found the man who had shoved the officer earlier. Deputies escorted that boat to the Decatur Boat Harbor and arrested the man on the dock.

A woman was yelling at Point Mallard staff while holding an open beer when an officer attempted to arrest her and was grabbed by two other women trying to stop him, officials said. They continued to say pepper spray was used on the women who grabbed the officer and one of them was arrested while the other ran away.

The following arrests were made: