ALAMEDA — The City Council was prepared for a full house when it gathered at City Hall Wednesday night to consider a moratorium on rents, setting up video feeds for the overflow crowd and opening the doors of the Alameda Free Library for extra seats.

But the council was not expecting passions to run so high that two men would end up arrested and the city’s Public Works Department director would end up in the hospital.

The scuffle that broke out as some tenants attempted to enter the packed Council Chambers prompted City Councilwoman Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft to call for a change on how seats are allocated when a contentious issue is on the agenda.

“It was very unfortunate that we had to have violence and what transpired,” Ashcraft said Thursday. “We want to achieve that balance where people have the right to be heard and protest without a situation turning violent.”

Catherine Pauling of the Alameda Renters Coalition, whose members were demanding to get inside the chambers, said her fellow tenants were shaken by what happened.

“People were distraught that this kind of violence could occur when they just wanted a chance to speak,” Pauling said. “There came a point when they said, ‘We are going to enter and we are going to be heard.'”

Just one police officer was initially monitoring the crowd, which included people mingling in the downstairs lobby and on the front steps of City Hall.

Landlords arrived early for the 6 p.m. meeting and quickly filled most seats in the chambers. Tenants became angry and began chanting when they were not allowed into the room because it was at capacity and the council was hearing mostly from property owners.

Bob Davis, 68, attempted to rush through the doorway and pulled down Public Works Director Bob Haun when he pushed him back toward the hallway, police said.

Haun was seriously injured and remained hospitalized Thursday morning, police Lt. Jill Ottaviano said. She declined to provide details on his injuries.

Davis, who lives in Alameda, faces charges of felony battery and misdemeanor threatening an official, as well as obstructing and delaying a police officer and battery on a police officer.

Video from witnesses using cell phones captured the altercation and arrest of Davis, who suffered a bloody nose when an officer brought him to the floor.

Police also arrested John Edward Klein, 64, of Alameda, who was among those chanting in the hallway.

Klein allegedly swatted an officer’s hand away as the officer attempted to prevent him from entering the Council Chambers. He was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery on a police officer and obstructing a police officer.

“Even though it was loud and crazy, they were staying within the bounds to express themselves,” Ottaviano said. “It was really those two individuals out of all those people who caused the problems.”

Pauling said she believed Davis did not intend to hurt Haun.

“Both men were in a tangle of legs and went down,” she said. “It wasn’t meant to be an assault.”

She also thought officers were heavy-handed when they arrested Davis.

“He was screaming in pain,” she said. “It was very, very rough. People were really shocked.”

Ottaviano defended the officers, noting that initially just one was at the scene.

“The officer displayed some very good judgment and restraint,” she said. “He understood things were getting emotional. He had to wait because he was there by himself.”

Five officers were dispatched to City Hall as the situation escalated. All were wearing body cameras that filmed the incident, Ottaviano said.

“Honestly, we’ve never had any problems like this,” she said. “Sometimes people mouth off a bit but we’ve never had battery against police officers and a city official.”

Mayor Trish Spencer put the meeting on hold following the arrests. She then called people into the chamber in groups so that both sides could be heard.

Days before the meeting, city officials suggested landlords and renters each select representatives to make their case on the moratorium, Ashcraft said. Landlords agreed, but renters declined.

On Wednesday, 90 people signed up to speak at the meeting, where the council voted unanimously to impose a 65-day moratorium on rent increases of 8 percent or higher. The meeting lasted more than seven hours.

Along with making seats available in the Council Chambers for all sides during any upcoming meeting that could become heated, Ashcraft said she wants a system for selecting public speakers so that one side does not dominate the comments.

She has asked interim City Manager Liz Warmerdam to look into other possible recommendations.

“We have to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to speak,” she said. “People need to feel that they are being treated fairly and with respect.”

Reach Peter Hegarty at 510-748-1654 or follow him on Twitter.com/Peter_Hegarty.