Brawl breaks out on the Block Island ferry

Police arrested seven people after a brawl reportedly broke out on an initially unscheduled Block Island ferry to the Port of Galilee in Narragansett on Monday night.

The fighting started at Ballard’s Beach Resort on Block Island where a reggae festival was taking place, the Associated Press reported. And it continued on the ferry, which was said to be added to the schedule late in the day due to overcrowding on the island amid Victory Day celebrations.

Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after Rhode Island State Police and local police from three towns leapt onto the ferry around 9:30 p.m. and intervened, according to multiple reports.

Michael Carvalho, 26, Laurie R. Cassandra, 30, Chevron R. Towns, 20, and Trent Manning, 32, all from Providence, Rhode Island; and Abdou Njie, 37, Deavon Silva, 20, and Miguel G. Silva, 36, all from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, were arraigned on charges, WCVB reported.

Five were charged with disorderly conduct, Cassandra was charged with obstructing an officer, and Towns faces a weapons charge.

State police said they assigned six troopers to assist local police on Block Island in anticipation of large crowds at the resort Monday, the AP reported.

There was a disturbance at the resort prior to the ferry incident, police said. Jacob Dorbor, 30, of Providence, Rhode Island, was arrested for fighting, according to WCVB.

Interstate Navigation Company acknowledged “the poor behavior of several passengers” on its ferry in a statement Tuesday.

“As per our protocols when anticipating a heavy volume of holiday travel, added security measures were put in place with the assistance of state and local police,” the company wrote. “We thank them and are continuing to work cooperatively with law enforcement to investigate the incident in order to assure safe passage for all our valued customers.”

See below for some videos recorded at the scene:

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