Lifeguard Attacked By Trio, Fights Back Fiercely

In a manner of speaking, it was no day at the beach for this lifesaver.

A lifeguard at Venice Beach in Los Angeles had to save himself when two men and a woman attacked him.

Intense video shows the lifeguard climbing down the ladder  of his tower after reportedly asking the pedestrians not to smoke on the pier. One man punches the lifeguard and another joins in the kicking and hitting before a bystander takes on one of the men. The lifeguard can be seen getting the upper hand on one of the assailants, repeatedly punching him as he lay on the ground. The woman later rushes the lifeguard, only to be subdued as she accuses him of sexual harassment.

The LAPD has begun to sort out Thursday's melee, arresting two men, Harutiun Balyan, 30, and Ara Sarkisyan, 28, and a woman, Arusiak Gekchyan, 28, on suspicion of battery on an executive officer , the Los Angeles Times reported. (A lifeguard is considered a peace officer.)

The L.A. County lifeguard's supervisor, Capt. Kenichi Haskett, told the Times that the lifeguard climbed down the tower to have a clearer conversation about the smoking ban (a no-smoking sign is posted on the pier) when he was jumped. 

“This is the first time something like this has happened that I can recall,” Haskett said. “We don’t get into physical altercations.”

Another video appears to show the woman kicking the lifeguard in the head when he was down, the Times noted.

TMZ reported that before the brawl, someone in the trio threw a lit cigarette into the lifeguard's stand , a claim backed up by bystanders, KTLA noted.

The unidentified lifeguard was treated for a possible broken hand , KTLA said. The alleged attacker who was knocked to the ground was taken to the hospital on a stretcher, outlets noted.

The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

 Also on HuffPost: