Calif. man critically injured after teens beat him with skateboards, cops say

(CBS/AP) Police say a man was critically injured in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday when about 10 youngsters attacked him and beat him with skateboards, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The man's girlfriend reportedly saw teens involved in an altercation near a skate park, but police said the crowd turned on her when she tried to break up the fight. The man, 25, was attacked after he also tried to intervene, police said.

The man reportedly fled to a laundromat, where about 10 teens attacked him.

Four juveniles were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The four are on probation for other crimes, police said, and have been taken to Orange County Juvenile Hall, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The father of one of the jailed teens told the station they were acting in self-defense after he said the man charged them with a screwdriver.