SANTA MONICA—The man responsible for punching a woman outside of a Venice market was charged on Thursday, October 6, the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office announced.
Michael Joseph Fino, 44, of Santa Monica was charged with one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury in case SA094086. He turned himself into authorities on October 4, after footage from the establishment was released by the authorities depicting the assault.
According to a press release from the LACDA Office, Fino sucker punched the victim who he did not know outside of the Venice grocery market after having a brief interaction with the victim inside the market, prosecutors said. The force of the punch knocked the woman to the ground.
The suspect entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment and is expected back in court on November 3 in Department W31 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Airport Branch.
The criminal complaint includes the allegation that the suspect has several prior convictions including one for battery with serious bodily injury in 1994, possession of methamphetamine for sale and identity theft in 2007 and second-degree burglaries in 2011 and 2013.
The case is still under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division.
