Man exonerated in Giants fan beating speaks out

[July 30, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The man initially identified by police as the primary suspect in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium, then exonerated after two other men were arrested and charged, spoke out Friday.

"More than anything, I'm upset. Not for myself, but for the grief and embarrassment that my friends, family, and loved ones have been put through," Giovanni Ramirez, 31, said in a statement released by his attorney Jose Romero.

Ramirez has been in custody since being arrested on a parole violation in May and ordered to serve 10 months in prison. At the time, Police Chief Charlie Beck identified Ramirez as the primary suspect for the beating of Bryan Stow, saying he was confident police had the right man.

Ramirez was never charged, and on Wednesday his attorneys filed court papers asking a judge to order his release.

"Everyone is asking what I am going to do next," Ramirez said in the statement. "My only focus and attention is with the writ that has been filed this week. I know the judge in the superior court will do the right thing."

The court papers claimed that Beck participated in a "rush to judgment" when he told reporters Ramirez was responsible for the attack, and that the parole board "capitulated to the political and public pressure surrounding the Dodger Stadium beating" when it concluded that Ramirez had violated parole when he was arrested in a home where a firearm was found.

The same day Ramirez was exonerated last week, Louis Sanchez, 29, and Marvin Norwood, 30, were charged with felony mayhem and assault charges in the beating of Stow, a paramedic from Santa Cruz who remains hospitalized with brain injuries.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.