The county parks director said a recent assault on a lifeguard at Clear Lake Beach has convinced him to hire a security firm to keep an eye on the summer crowds at the swim area.

When a swimmer allegedly punched a lifeguard on June 29, the incident highlighted what has been an ongoing problem with bad behavior at the park, Parks Director Bob Vaux said.

“It’s sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back a little bit,” Vaux said. “Unfortunately, when you get a lot of people together, if you get a couple people who don’t want to play by the rules, it’ll really influence the experience people are having.”

A guard from Night Hawk Security made his first appearance in the park on July 4, five days after the incident. The company will provide security 12 hours a week on a flexible schedule through Labor Day, Vaux said.

The county will spend $2,000 this summer for the added security, Vaux said. Also, sheriff’s deputies and park rangers will beef up their patrols of the park.

Other than having a sore jaw, the lifeguard, 19-year-old Tom Fitzgibbon, wasn’t hurt in the alleged altercation.

On a busy, hot day two Sundays ago, two men, approximately 18 years old, were diving into the lake in violation of park rules, Skagit County Sheriff’s Sgt. Don McDermott said. After refusing to comply with the rule, they were thrown out of the park, McDermott said.

As he was leaving, one of the men approached the lifeguard to shake his hand, then punched him in the jaw as the lifeguard was turning away, McDermott said.

The Sheriff’s Office believes it has the name of one of the two suspects, but its investigation into the alleged assault hasn’t been completed, McDermott said.