Four protesters were arrested after fights broke out at a pro-Trump rally in Huntington Beach, CA Saturday. The fighting started when a group of a dozen masked protesters tried to prevent several hundred rally attendees from marching along a path and then used pepper spray on rally attendees. Here’s what the rally looked like when it got started:

Starting to drizzle on #MAGAMARCH in Huntington Beach. "We're not snowflakes. We won't melt," a pro-Trump woman at the rally said. pic.twitter.com/FZDwiBcJGz

— Cindy Carcamo (@theCindyCarcamo) March 25, 2017

A reporter for the Daily Pilot put the crowd at around 500 people:

About 500 or so people gathered at Bolsa Chica in #HuntingtonBeach for #MAGAMARCH pic.twitter.com/5v5Owyky4V

— Ben Brazil (@_benbrazil) March 25, 2017

Other estimates of the crowd size were higher. The OC Register estimated 2,000 people at the rally and up to 30 protesters. Things turned ugly after protesters tried to block rally-goers from walking along a path near the beach:

As the marchers, many in MAGA hats or carrying American flags, walked down the bike path from Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue, about a dozen protesters wearing black masks formed a wall blocking them.

The situation got ugly and lasted for about a half hour; after much yelling, shoving, pushing and punching, some protesters pepper-sprayed a group of marchers.

Some members of the rally got angry about the pepper-spray and chased the masked individual responsible onto the beach where a fist fight broke out:

Violence erupting at Trump rally when pro and anti Trump protestors collide. pic.twitter.com/lR2BZX33A4

— Cindy Carcamo (@theCindyCarcamo) March 25, 2017

Here’s another angle on it:

Fight breaking out at #MAGAMARCH in #HuntingtonBeach pic.twitter.com/EyjgGMu5fL

— Ben Brazil (@_benbrazil) March 25, 2017

The protester was eventually chased onto Pacific Coast Highway and then arrested by police:

Man in black mask chased onto PCH, marchers said he pepper sprayed them #MAGAMARCH in #HuntingtonBeach pic.twitter.com/ZPNWJaVYol

— Ben Brazil (@_benbrazil) March 25, 2017

Violence erupting at Trump rally when pro and anti Trump protestors collide. #MAGAMARCH in Huntington Beach pic.twitter.com/vaLRWGotEp

— Cindy Carcamo (@theCindyCarcamo) March 25, 2017

None of the masked protesters would identify themselves to the LA Times. They claimed they only used pepper spray after they were being pushed and shoved. But one rally attendee told the LA Times he saw them initiating the violence and tried to break it up:

Steele Vaz, 17, of Huntington Beach said he saw masked people spray and punch [rally organizer Jennifer] Sterling and got in the middle to try and break it up.

“I was here to support [Trump] but I didn’t know it was going to be violent,” said Steele, who was there with his family. “They sprayed her. They were punching her.”

His mother Arlet Vaz said she was proud of her son’ actions.

“He did the right thing,” she said. “He’ll defend anybody.”

The OC Register identified the group behind the protest:

Jordan Hoiberg from Newport Beach said he saw a protester wield pepper spray in self-defense.

“We were expecting it to be more peaceful,” said Hoiberg, a member of the Socialist Party USA, one of the protest organizers. “We were not about to start something when we are 10 people and they are a thousand. That would be suicidal.”

For those not familiar with the area, Newport Beach is one of the wealthiest parts of Orange County. In fact, for several years it has had the distinction of having the highest priced home market in the entire nation. This November 2015 story at CNN Money says the average price of a 4 bedroom home in Newport Beach at the time was $2.2 million. There’s a bit of irony in having the Socialist Party USA organizer of the protest coming from one of the wealthiest towns in the entire nation.

Four people were arrested yesterday. All of them were part of the protest group.