$140,000 Raised At Fundraiser For Beaten Giants Fan
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- The employer of a man who was severely beaten outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last week raised $140,000 to pay for his medical expenses at a barbecue fundraiser in San Jose on Wednesday.
American Medical Response hosted the barbecue at its headquarters for Bryan Stow, a 42-year-old emergency medical technician in Santa Clara County, who was attacked on March 31 by two men following the opening day game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants.
Stow remains in the hospital in a coma, but his condition is stable. The funds raised will go toward helping his family pay his medical bills, Martine Bustamente, a volunteer coordinator for the event and colleague of Stow's, said.
Gil Glass, an event organizer and general manager at AMR, said the event drew roughly 3,000 to 4,000 people, far exceeding his expectations.
"It was just an amazing outpouring from the community to come out and support Bryan and his family," Glass said. "Everyone was just incredibly blown away by the show of support."
The money was raised through the sale of food and auctioning of items, which included autographed memorabilia donated by the San Jose Sharks and San Francisco Giants.
With a $20,000 contribution, Pizza My Heart, a pizza chain with more than a dozen Bay Area locations, was one of the biggest donors.
A website, www.support4stow.blogspot.com, has been set up for people wishing to donate directly to the fund.
The Giants will collect donations for the fund, to which it pledged to make an initial contribution of $10,000, at AT&T Park during Monday's home game versus the Dodgers. The team will also pay tribute to Stow prior to its first home game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
On March 31, Stow, an avid Giants fan, was walking with friends, all wearing Giants clothing, near Dodger Stadium's F2 parking lot when a pair of men clad in Dodgers apparel approached him from behind, according to Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera.
Police said the men taunted Stow for being a Giants fan, and then hit him from behind, causing him to fall to the ground.
They kicked him repeatedly, causing severe head and body injuries, Herrera said.
When Stow's friends tried to intervene, they were also attacked by the men. They suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene and released, police said.
No arrests have been made in connection to the beating, and little information is available about the attackers, other than that they are Hispanic men between 18 and 25 years old who were wearing Dodgers clothing.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Los Angeles police at (877) 527-3247.
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