Suspect in fan beating has violent past

SAN FRANCISCO - Relatives of a San Francisco Giants fan who was brutally beaten outside Dodger Stadium on March 31 were grateful yesterday after police arrested a suspect with a violent criminal record.

The parents and two sisters of Bryan Stow made a brief appearance outside San Francisco General Hospital, looking relieved but still shaken by the 2-month ordeal of caring for the badly injured father of two and awaiting news that his attackers had been found.

Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic, remains in critical but stable condition under heavy sedation to prevent seizures caused by the traumatic brain injury he suffered in the attack.

Los Angeles police raided an East Hollywood apartment building Sunday and arrested Giovanni Ramirez, 31, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The case was submitted to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office and was under review.

Ramirez has a violent past, according to court records. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery after he grabbed a purse from a woman boarding a bus and she was thrown to the ground. He was sentenced to a year in jail and placed on 3 years' probation. An assault charge was dropped by prosecutors.

In 2005, Ramirez was convicted of possessing or importing for sale composite or hard wooden knuckles, a misdemeanor. Prison records indicate Ramirez served time, but no other details were immediately available. Two drug-related charges as well as one count of firing a weapon in public were dismissed.

Stow's family members never gave up hope that someone would be arrested, said his sister, Erin Collins. They thanked the Los Angeles Police Department for its "exhaustive efforts."

"Bryan has a long road ahead of him, but we are thankful that this suspect is in custody and is unable to do this to another family," Collins said.

Police were still seeking a second attacker and a woman suspected of driving the pair from the scene. Police Chief Charlie Beck called Ramirez the main aggressor.

The Los Angeles man was being held on $1 million bail. Beck did not know if Ramirez had hired an attorney.

A tip from a parole officer late last week gave detectives the break they'd sought for 7 weeks following the attack on Stow in a stadium parking lot after the Dodgers' season opener.