Attorneys say hotel video could exonerate suspect in Giants fan’s beating
The attorney for the man suspected in the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow went on the offensive Friday, saying he will file a court motion Monday seeking a hotel video recording that he claims could help exonerate his client.
The move marks the most concrete step so far by the defense in its effort to prove that the Los Angeles Police Department arrested the wrong man in connection with the violent incident on opening day at Dodger Stadium.
Though Giovanni Ramirez, 31, was arrested nearly two weeks ago, L.A. County prosecutors have yet to charge him in connection with the beating. Prosecutors asked police to gather more evidence in the case, and LAPD officials said they hope to present the case again soon.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck on Thursday said detectives strongly believe Ramirez beat Stow and have enough evidence to prove it. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Beck said detectives plan to re-file the case to prosecutors “in the near future.”
“My job is not to prepare a case for the media,” he said. “My job is to prepare a case in court.”
Ramirez was the subject of a lineup and lie-detector tests, but the results have not been released.
In the motion, attorney Anthony Brooklier says that Ramirez and his girlfriend stayed at a Comfort Inn on Vermont Avenue near the 101 Freeway on April 1 — the day after the beating. Brooklier says video from the hotel and from a nearby gas station could show that Ramirez had a noticeable head of hair. The suspect in Stow’s beating was described by witnesses and in police sketches as being bald.
Some of Ramirez’s family members — including his 10-year-old daughter — say he was at home at the time of the beating. On Friday, police detectives interviewed the daughter, according to her attorney. “She told detectives that he was never out of sight for more than 20 minutes,” said attorney Chip Matthews.
A parole commissioner Friday ruled that Ramirez can be held for allegedly violating his parole but said insufficient evidence was presented that he committed the attack, a parole board spokesman said.
The commissioner determined “there was probable cause he violated his parole conditions” by being in possession of a firearm and ammunition, said spokesman Luis Patino.
“The commissioner dismissed an accusation involving the attack,” he said. “It is not uncommon in probable-cause matters for new crimes to be mentioned but minimally.... The information presented in [the assault] case was very minimal.”
Ramirez is also a suspect in a gang shooting in Henderson, Nev., according to senior LAPD officials, who asked that their names not be used because of the ongoing investigation.
An LAPD source said investigators from the two agencies had been in contact about Ramirez, but added “we’re still trying to determine how good their case is and how interested they are in him.”
Henderson police had not sought a warrant for Ramirez’s arrest, according to the source.
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