Boy Hurt in Beach Gang Brawl : Violence: Youth is stabbed at Zuma. Scores flee before deputies restore order to popular strand.

A violent confrontation involving gang members at Malibu’s Zuma Beach left one youth critically wounded Friday and forced dozens of beach-goers to flee for safety while teams of sheriff’s deputies descended on the crowded beach to restore order, authorities said.

The disturbance, involving about 70 youths, including several believed by authorities to be members of a Pacoima street gang, was quelled by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who moved onto the crowded beach with batons to disperse several hundred teen-agers about an hour after the fight started at 11:30 a.m.

The unidentified victim, a 17-year-old boy from Sylmar, was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver. He was airlifted by a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter to Westlake Hospital. He was listed in critical condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit, authorities said.

“We believe the victim was attacked by a member of a Pacoima gang after a dispute arose over a football game on the beach,” Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Moore said, adding that the victim did not know his attacker.

Moore said that the victim was among a group of young people who apparently exchanged words with gang members after the latter asked to join in a game of football.

No arrests were made, sheriff’s deputies said. Authorities said they closed part of Pacific Coast Highway for about an hour.

Authorities said that a mile-long strand of beach popular with surfers and sunbathers was crowded with hundreds of teen-agers taking advantage of a hot day during spring break when the fighting broke out near a lifeguard station.

Sheriff’s Lt. Bob Barrier said that as he and other deputies waited for reinforcements, dozens of unruly youths advanced toward the lifeguard station where the injured youth had been taken to await treatment, and refused to leave until about a dozen other officers arrived.

“We told them to stop, but they kept coming at us,” Barrier said. “They were very menacing-looking. It could have gotten real ugly real quick.”

Jeff Langley, a paramedic with the Fire Department said “lifeguards had to physically grab (the victim) and run with him” to rescue him from the mob.

Barrier said that in the moments after the disturbance began only a few deputies were on hand to try to calm the crowd and get people off the beach.

About 40 deputies fanned out along the beach and began dispersing the youthful crowd, while sheriff’s helicopters equipped with loudspeakers circled overhead, urging beach-goers to leave.

“They kicked us out because we were playing football,” grumbled Jenny Smith, 18, of New York City, who came to the beach with friends from North Hollywood.

Later in the day deputies conducted a sweep of several Malibu beaches, working southward from at Leo Carrillo Beach.

“I think the deputies showed remarkable restraint, and courage, I might add,” said Mike Caggiano, a Malibu city councilman who visited the scene. “Clearly, a number of high schools emptied onto the beaches of Malibu today.”

Longtime observers said that while similar incidents have occurred before, it was the largest such melee involving gang members on a Malibu beach in recent memory.

“In the 20 years I’ve worked out here I haven’t seen anything on the order of this in terms of the numbers,” said Walker, the lifeguard lieutenant.

The county operates about 20 lifeguard stations along Malibu’s 20-mile coastline, including eight at Zuma Beach

Sheriff’s officials said they plan to beef up patrols along the beach during the weekend as as precaution.

“We don’t anticipate trouble,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Moore. “But we will add 10 or 12 extra units to the Malibu beaches just in case.”

Times staff writers Bob Pool and George Ramos contributed to this story.