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Have surfers on the beaches of Malibu gotten a little too protective over their territory? Just one day after a gang of surfers picked on photographers trying to snap pictures of actor Matthew McConaughey while riding the waves, another brawl reportedly involving surfers and paparazzi set off Sunday afternoon.
According to Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. John Kniest, a second confrontation occurred Sunday afternoon near Paradise Cove between what appeared to be local surfers and the paparazzi. He said 20 to 30 people were involved and the surfers felt the paparazzi didn't belong on the beach.
Malibu Sheriff's Department increased the number of officers assigned to patrol the beaches, with special focus on Little Dume and surrounding areas, in case of further fights, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told Los Angeles Times.
"Our whole goal is to contain this situation, and we will," he said.
Although no one was seriously injured, the all-out brawl ended with some badly busted-up faces and a lot ruined camera equipment, TMZ.com reported. No arrests were made.
The first conflict, taking place Saturday evening, involved a group of approximately twelve photographers, who were taking snaps of McConaughey enjoying the surf on a Malibu beach, and a group of disgruntled surfers, who started the fight allegedly leaving one paparazzo with a broken nose after being struck in the face.
Police confirmed a battery report was filed by a 29-year-old photographer, who claimed his camera was thrown in the water after the surfers approached him asking him to stop taking pictures. No arrests were made.
"They formed a semicircle in front of his camera and they said they didn't want him to film," Whitmore said. "They got into an argument, and he indicated that he received injuries. . . . [They] took the video camera and threw it in the water."
Videos of the alleged fight were posted on celebrity gossip websites TMZ.com and x17online.com.
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