Two people were hospitalized after a large brawl broke out near the Santa Monica Pier Saturday afternoon.

At around 2:21 p.m., Santa Monica police responded to reports of a fight just north of the Santa Monica Pier near Tower 14.

A police drone arrived at the scene first and witnessed an active fight taking place on the crowded beach.

During the brawl, one person was stabbed and another had broken his ankle, police said.

Dozens of officers broke up the fight and located the two victims at the scene who were transported to the hospital for treatment.

Five male suspects were arrested at the scene — three on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, one for battery and another for sexual battery.

Video from the scene showed large portions of the beach were cordoned off as law enforcement arrived and a beach full of bystanders looked on. Helicopters also surrounded the beach as investigators arrived.

Visitors on a busy Saturday afternoon were shocked at the sudden swarm of police officers. 

“I’ve never seen that kind of police presence on the beach so we were a little startled by it,” said Danielle Russell, a beachgoer. “There were three ambulances, a firetruck and the whole area was surrounded with police vehicles and there were probably 25 officers.”

“I know it’s dangerous out here, but we were just taken aback that there was an actual crime scene down here,” said Michelle Beaton-Kent, another beachgoer.

It’s unclear what prompted the fight as the incident remains under investigation. The suspects’ identities were not released.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Watch Commander at 310-458-8427 or Non-Emergency Dispatch at 310-458-8491.