McConaughey photog allegedly attacked

MALIBU, Calif., June 23 (UPI) -- A 29-year-old photographer told police a group of surfers attacked him in Malibu, Calif., while he was trying to take pictures of Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey is an avid surfer and film actor best known for his roles in "Fool's Gold," "We Are Marshall," "Sahara," "Contact" and "A Time to Kill."

The Los Angeles Times said the photographer from Santa Monica, Calif., told sheriff's deputies that a large group of surfers hit him and threw his camera into the ocean Saturday afternoon while he was attempting to photograph and videotape McConaughey at a beach near Paradise Cove.

"They formed a semicircle in front of his camera and they said they didn't want him to film," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department representative Steve Whitmore told the Times. "They got into an argument, and he indicated that he received injuries. ... (They) took the video camera and threw it in the water."

Whitmore said the incident is under investigation.

The celebrity news Web sites TMZ.com and x17online.com both posted videos allegedly shot at the time of the incident, however, Whitmore told the Times the people who filmed the clash hadn't turned the videos in to police.