LAPD Chief Says Lineup In Giants Fan Attack 'Went Well'
LOS ANGELES (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Police on Thursday said a lineup to determine whether witnesses to the brutal beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow could identify the man suspected of leading the attack had a "successful" outcome.
"It went well... it added to our group of evidence," Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck said at a news conference, adding that he was "absolutely confident" they have the right man.
Beck said the LAPD would be submitting their case against Giovanni Ramirez to the district attorney's office "at the appropriate time in the near future" when they can make the "best case possible" with an "abundance of evidence." It would then be up to prosecutors to decide whether to file charges.
But the chief told reporters, "There are standards for arrest in this state. We have met that standard, we have exceeded that standard... I am as sure as you need to be to make an arrest and to pursue a prosecution."
Police arrested Ramirez, 31, over the weekend at his Hollywood home following a tip from his parole officer. He remained in custody Thursday on a parole hold stemming from a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of a gun.
Stow, a paramedic and father of two, was wearing an orange Giants jersey when he was taunted, knocked to the ground, punched and kicked after the opening game of the season between the Giants and Dodgers.
Authorities have not identified a second attacker and a woman suspected of driving the pair from the scene of the March 31 attack against Stow outside Dodger Stadium in a parking lot.
Attorney Anthony Brooklier, who is representing Ramirez, said he believed police had the wrong man. Brooklier denied his client was even at the ball game and said the man's 10-year-old daughter would testify to that effect.
"I just think it's a mistake," Brooklier said after visiting with Ramirez at the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles.
"He wasn't at the game. I think he's got a tremendous alibi," Brooklier said. "He is willing to take a police polygraph. I've never had anybody said that to me in almost 40 years that I've been practicing criminal defense."
Beck declined to comment on the alibi claim, but the chief told reporters: "Giovanni Ramirez is and was and has been our primary suspect on the Stow beating,"
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
A parole photograph released to the media bears some similarity to a composite sketch released earlier by police. In the photo, a shaven-headed Ramirez is shown with tattoos on his neck and a small marking under his left eye.
The latest development in the case against Ramirez came just a coule days after Stow's family sued the Los Angeles Dodgers and team owner Frank McCourt, contending the Dodgers were negligent by not providing more security and not having adequate lighting in the parking lot where the incident occurred.
Dodgers attorney Jerome M. Jackson said the organization has been steadfast in its support for Stow and investigators, but would defend itself against the allegations.
Stow, 42, of Santa Cruz, remained in critical but stable condition at San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday; he was under heavy sedation to prevent seizures caused by the traumatic brain injury he suffered in the beating.
Attorney Thomas Girardi, who represents the Stow family in the lawsuit, said that Barry Bonds had donated money for a college fund for Stow's two young children.
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