Horse punched, 4 deputies hurt during brawl at county fair in California

Five people were arrested after the fight on the last day of the Stanislaus County Fair, the newspaper reported.

Sgt Josh Clayton of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said one beer booth closed 45 minutes, early, causing larger crowds at the other booths, the Bee reported.

According to a Facebook post by the Sheriff's Department, the incident began with deputies observed a group of men wearing gang attire who appeared drunk. When the men were asked to leave the fair, one man assaulted a deputy and a fight ensued, the Sheriff's Department said in its post.

Mounted units came to help disperse the crowd, and one man apparently was knocked down by one of the horses, the Sheriff's Department said. The man, "upset his beer had spilled," punched Maximus, one of the deputies' horses, in the rear. The man was arrested, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Officials said Maximus is recovering "by running around his pasture and eating alfalfa," according to the Facebook post. Deputies suffered minor injuries from the fight, KCRA reported.