The shocking moment a man viciously punched a young woman in the face has been captured on camera.

Security footage taken outside a store on Winward Avenue in Venice Beach, California, on Sunday night.

The short video starts by showing a man and a woman walk out of the story and then bump into each other.

The shocking moment a man viciously punched a young woman in the face has been captured on camera

The man, who was walking away as the young woman appears to be saying something to him, then turns around and wildly punches her in the face.

The young woman then fell to the ground and had to be helped by bystanders.

At the same time, the man tried to run away, but was briefly stopped by a man who tried to hold him in a headlock from behind.

But after a few seconds, the puncher broke free and was seen running down the street away from the scene.

According to LiveLeak, the woman had met the man at a festival earlier in the day but they did not know each other.

Los Angeles Police are reportedly looking for the man in the footage.

After punching the woman in the face another woman tried to stop him (left), before a man grabbed him from behind around the neck (right)