A stupid fight over nothing has a man fighting for his life this week, and cops want to find the suspect who punched him out on a Santa Monica Big Blue Bus in Westwood.

The fracas was caught on video:

Luis Contreras appears to have been flattened by his assailant after he accidentally stepped on the aggressor's foot, cops say.

The bus driver is heard yelling “get out of the bus, get out of the bus!” before stepping in. But the tough guy hops over the victim, who ends up unconscious in the gutter, and flees.

Police say it happened on April 5 about 7:05 p.m. along the bus' Westwood Boulevard route near Rochester Avenue.


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According to an LAPD statement:

… Contreras suffered a serious head injury and is now fighting for his life at a local hospital.

And while the person of interest here might think it was just another scuffle to be forgotten, it has become an investigation for LAPD's homicide detectives. Det. Luis Carranza:

This fight literally started over one individual stepping on the foot of the other. Words were exchanged and punches were thrown.

Cops want people to check out the video and call (213-382-9470) if they recognize the suspect. Carranza:

We just want to know why this unfortunate incident occurred. We want to speak with him to get his side of the story.

But don't be surprised if they slap the cuffs on him.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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