A day after several videos surfaced of angry marchers punching and cursing at protesters, journalists and others at the Make America Great Again rally in Huntington Beach on Saturday, those who were assaulted are asking why police didn’t act to stop the violent brawl that broke out minutes into the march.

The event, billed as the “MAGA March,” was one of about 50 organized across the country to support President Donald Trump, the military, veterans, law enforcement and emergency responders. Organizers said they were hoping for a family-friendly, kid-friendly march.

But that wasn’t what they got.

Marchers are shown on video attacking two photographers and an intern from the OC Weekly and Angie LaPorte-Domkus, of Sunset Beach, who said she was there to observe and record the march.

“It didn’t look like the cops were interested in doing anything at all,” she said. “They were just standing there watching.”

California State Parks Police Capt. Kevin Pearsall said Monday his officers saw “a lot of people punching,” and it was chaotic.

“When you have that many people going at the same time, it’s difficult,” he said. “We went into this with the thinking that if a situation became life-threatening, we would act.”

The violent brawl lasted about 30 minutes as marchers and protesters, who initially blocked the march, clashed. It ended with three of the protesters pepper-spraying some on the other side, including Jennifer Sterling, one of the march’s organizers who was trying to break up the fight.

Officials charged three males with felony illegal use of pepper spray and one woman with misdemeanor assault and battery. Their names were not available Monday.

(Warning: Video contains foul language.)

The march continued without further incident, but the violence set the tone for the event with some marchers continuing to intimidate protesters and some of the protesters were yelling in response.

A few people on either side attempted to engage in peaceful dialogue and debate, but the environment was generally one of animosity between the two contingents.

A group calling itself Chinese Americans for Trump chanted “Build that wall.” Some participants carried signs with Nazi, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim symbols.

Pearsall said his department monitored social media before the event, which alerted them that weapons may be brought to the march.

“The only weapon that was used (Saturday) was pepper spray,” he said. “Use of pepper spray is really serious because it can do permanent damage. Our goal was to ensure that no one was hurt and in the end no one was seriously hurt.”

Photos also captured one marcher wearing brass knuckles.

As of Monday, no one had called his department or requested further investigation, Pearsall said. He said there were reports of two people suffering small cuts that did not require treatment.

The department was criticized on social media for estimating the crowd at 2,000, with many saying the number seemed much lower. Pearsall said he stands by his department’s count.

“We counted from four stories above the ground and we counted as the crowds walked by,” he said. “There were about 1,700 to 1,750 people and we rounded the number to 2,000.”

The incident will not change in terms of the permitting process at Bolsa Chica, Pearsall said. Any person or group is still welcome there as long as they meet the California State Parks’ special event requirements, he said.

“We have over 100 special events annually at the state park beaches in Huntington Beach,” Pearsall said. “It is not the first, but it has definitely received the most media attention.”

The march was moved from the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa to Bolsa Chica State Beach over fears that marchers and counter protesters might clash.

The march’s organizers called it a “huge success” and Sterling said she washed the pepper spray out of her eyes and continued on with it.

“I think it was a beautiful event,” she said.

John Beaman, 54, of Tustin, a marcher who was trying to break up fights Saturday, said he was not surprised by the turn of events.

“You get a bunch of testosterone going and people getting in each other’s faces, this is what you get,” he said. “(The marchers) weren’t there to cause trouble. The protesters were the ones who came to try and stop us. They were looking for trouble and they found it.”

Jordan Hoiberg, a member of the Socialist Party USA and one of the protest organizers, said Saturday that the group wasn’t there to stir up trouble, but simply to exercise their right to free speech.

LaPorte-Domkus, 52, said she was not among the protesters, but was filming a verbal fight on her phone when a woman punched her in the face. That’s caught on video, too. (See below.)

“I’ve lived here for 18 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” LaPorte-Domkus said. “It blew me away that this rally was even held here because this is a tight-knit community where we have pancake breakfasts and family events. I’ve never witnessed so much hatred and I was shocked to see it.”

Huntington Beach has witnessed bigger brawls, such as the July 28, 2013 incident during the U.S. Open of Surfing, when a fight sparked a riot with crowds tipping over porta potties, tearing down street signs, smashing shop windows and looting.

The three OC Weekly journalists including a 21-year-old intern who were all shown on video getting punched by marchers during Saturday’s brawl, are doing well, but are shaken and physically sore, said editor Gustavo Arellano.

“We’re still exploring our options on how to proceed,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we have to ask the police to do their jobs when there is clear video evidence of the attacks.”

Photographer Julie Leopo asked one of the officers to pursue the man who punched intern Frank Tristan, but the officer refused, Arellano said.

“I’m proud of our reporter and photographers for standing strong and doing their jobs,” he said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@scng.com