There has been a stepped-up police presence on the Long Beach boardwalk Friday following a brawl Thursday afternoon outside Riptides Snack Shop.

First responders were caring for people inside the business, which also had to shut down early for the day.

Long Beach Police Commissioner Ronald Walsh says someone used a can of mace during the brawl and several people had to be treated by EMS.

A woman, who did not want to be identified, says her son was hit in the head with a pipe during the fight. She says he won't be going back to the boardwalk alone anytime soon.

There were no serious injuries, according to city officials.

Walsh says everyone who goes to the boardwalk should be assured that they are safe, calling Long Beach one of the safest cities in the country.

"We've increased our patrols on the beach, we have officers and special police officers patrolling the beach," Walsh says. "Routinely during the summer, we start our hiring this time of year. We'll be training new special officers as well."

He says a total of 35 new special officers are being hired for the season. Walsh says their job is to provide public safety support for the police department.

"They're our eyes and ears - they're a very good deterrent," Walsh says. "They also issue summons for violations."

Riptides Snack Shop owner Brian Braddish says he will not remain open after 7 p.m. because it's not safe.

"It's unsafe, it's unsafe for my employees, it's unsafe for people using the boardwalk," Braddish says. "The boardwalk needs to be a safe passage for them to go up and down the boardwalk. I wouldn't have my kids here at 7 at night."

The police commissioner says new HD security cameras were also installed the entire length of the boardwalk.

On Friday, there were no major incidents.