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Man Caught On Camera Punching Woman Outside Venice Grocery Store

VENICE (CBSLA.com) – A search is underway for a man caught on camera Sunday punching a woman in the face outside a grocery store in Venice.

By all appearances, a line inside Windward Farms was typical. But security video first posted on Venice 311 showed a woman in a black top arguing with a man in a tank top.

Things began to escalate as another woman tried to get between them. The exchange kept getting more heated.

When the confrontation moved outside, the man in the tank top punched the woman in the face, knocking her to the ground.

As the man started to walk away, a crowd tried to stop him. One person even attempted to put the man in a headlock but failed to subdue him.

Erinn Williams lives near the store on Windward Avenue, where the attack went down as two festivals were underway in the neighborhood.

"I'm not really surprised because stuff like this happens all the time around here. It's just that they caught it on camera," Williams said. "I think people were drinking and getting riled up."

Police said the attacker, who put a fist in the victim's face, met her at some point earlier in the day at one of those festivals. The two saw each other again inside the shop, where the argument got violent.

"Right in front of this beautiful store. It was a pretty awful thing to have happen right here, but we have a lot of bad stuff going in Venice right here," said Venice resident John Vester.

Police are trying to identify the attacker. It's not clear whether he is a local or from out of town.

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