Washington, Jun 23 (ANI): American actor Matthew McConaughey was protected from paparazzi by a bunch of surfers on the beaches of Malibu Saturday afternoon.

The incident took place when McConaughey was surfing with friends near Paradise Cove.

According to what a photographer had told the police, the surfers asked the paparazzi to stop clicking McConaughey's pictures.

However, when the photographers did not stop, things got physical.

"(The surfers) formed a semicircle in front of his camera and they said (McConaughey) didn't want him to film," E!online quoted Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore as having told the Los Angeles Times.

"They got into an argument, and [the photographer] indicated that he received injuries...(The surfers) took the video camera and threw it in the water," the spokesman added.

There are reports that another paparazzo suffered a broken nose during the fight, which was caught on tape by TMZ.com and X17online.com, and which is being investigated by detectives.

McConaughey's representatives were unavailable for comment. (ANI)