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Caught On Video: Man Knocked Out In 'Punch-And-Run' At Miami Beach Market

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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – A man is in a coma after being viciously punched by another man in an argument apparently over a checkout lane at a Miami Beach food market. Police are passing out flyers in hopes of finding his assaulter.

Witnesses told Miami Beach Police that the victim, Mohammed A. Hussein, 58, a father of two, was standing in line at the M & L Food Market located at 7446 Collins Ave., when the suspect reportedly started checking out in the wrong lane.

CLICK HERE To Watch MaryAnn Martinez's Report 

Surveillance footage captured the December 1 altercation, which began when a man in a white t-shirt in the video, identified as Hussain, was telling a man in a gray tank top that he was in the wrong checkout lane. That counter is for small purchases at the market.

The man in the gray continues to unload groceries from his basket until the conversation gets so heated that he backhands Hussein, who falls to the floor, banging his head on the ground.

The man who hit Hussein left the store after knocking him out.

"It's terrible. If I was here -- I just can't believe nobody could have stopped it or did anything about it at the time," said Cameron Russell, the victim's neighbor.

Paramedics rushed an unconscious Hussein to the Ryder Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with severe brain bleeding. He is currently in a coma at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Throughout the day, customers at M&L looked closely at the picture of the suspect posted on the market's doors.

"I hope that they catch him or maybe he make up his mind and he goes to the police saying that he did it," said Mario Rodriguez, a shopper at the market.

Police passed out flyers on Tuesday to find the reported assailant. The man is around 48 years old, about 6-feet tall and has salt and pepper hair. Police believe the man lives near the market.

"He don't deserve to be free when something like that happens," said shopper Leonardo Beze.

Right now, police want him on aggravated battery charges, but those charges could be upgraded if Hussein's condition worsens.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami Dade Crime Stoppers 305-471-TIPS (8477).

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