Man Suspected In Dodger Stadium Beating Sent To Prison For Parole Violation
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The man suspected in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan outside Dodger Stadium on opening day was ordered Monday to spend 10 months in prison for violating his parole.
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KNX 1070's Jon Baird Reports
Giovanni Ramirez, 31, appeared with his lawyers at a closed-door hearing before parole commissioners at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. He has not been charged with the beating of Bryan Stow, but has remained jailed since his May 22 arrest for allegedly violating his parole.
Police officials believe Ramirez was one of the men who assaulted Stow following the Dodgers' opening-day victory over the Giants on March 31.
According to defense attorney J. Christopher Smith, a commissioner found "no probable cause" to hold Ramirez for the Stow assault allegation, but determined there were grounds to keep him on ice in an unrelated matter.
Ramirez was allegedly in possession of a gun and ammunition at the time of his arrest in the Stow investigation, and the commissioner determined he probably violated his parole conditions, according to media reports.
Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic from Northern California, remains hospitalized with brain damage in San Francisco.
Witnesses to the assault told police the main attacker was bald, but defense attorneys say Ramirez had a full head of hair at the time.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck remains confident police arrested the right man in connection with the Stow beating.
Police were continuing to hunt for two more suspects -- another man who took part in the actual beating and a female getaway driver.
Ramirez, who police say is a documented member of the Varrio Nuevo Estrada street gang, has at least three prior felony convictions. According to police, he was convicted of attempted robbery in 1998, robbery in 1999, and firing a weapon in a public place in 2005, the L.A. Times reported.
Ramirez's attorneys insist their client was not at Dodger Stadium on opening day, but was babysitting his 10-year-old daughter that day.
The girl met with LAPD investigators and reportedly told detectives that her father was never out of her sight for more than 20 minutes.
The girl's mother added that Ramirez was not a sports fan and was unlikely to have gone to Dodger Stadium.
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