Report: Cumming Man Faces Charges in Savannah Brawl

Two men from metro Atlanta have been charged in connection with a Mother’s Day weekend fight in Savannah, during which family members were reportedly attacked.

The Savannah Morning News reported misdemeanor warrants have been issued for Robert William Gray of Cumming, and Richard Wayne Barnes of Lawrenceville. They are charged with affray in the May 10 fight on River Street, which apparently started as two groups were passing each other in the walkway.

Gray and his brother-in-law Jim Thomas were hurt in the fight. It was unclear what role Barnes played in the incident.

Gray and Thomas were with their families when they say they were brutally attacked. On Facebook, Thomas posted that his wife’s hair was pulled and his 6-year-old daughter was punched in the stomach, the Savannah newspaper reported.

But on May 13, Savannah-Chatham Police issued a statement saying the fight did not appear to be random and that there was a “verbal altercation,” between men from each of the two groups. Police also released a surveillance video of the fight, which they said did not show a child being struck, WSB-TV reported.

See the YouTube video of the fight attached to this article.

In light of the police statement, Gray and Thomas later defended their take on the incident in this WSB report. Thomas told the TV station, “We didn't encourage this to come towards us.”

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