venice

Man Who Sucker Punched Woman During Heated Argument in Venice Charged With Battery

The suspect had prior run-ins with the law, including being caught with methamphetamine

A stocky man in a muscle shirt caught on camera sucker punching a woman during a heated argument outside a Venice market has been charged with battery, prosecutors said Friday.

Michael Joseph Fino, 44, was charged Thursday with one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to return to court Nov. 3.

Late last month, Fino and a woman he did not know got into an argument at the store's front counter. The fight spilled outside, and Fino suddenly punched the woman in the face, knocking her to the ground.

Witnesses tried to stop Fino, but he broke free — even throwing one person off his back — and left before police arrived.

He surrendered to police on Oct. 4.

Fino, of Santa Monica, had previous run-ins with the law. Prosecutors said he was convicted of battery in 1994 , possession of methamphetamine for sale and ID theft in 2007, and second-degree burglaries in 2011 and 2013.

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