Crime & Safety
Giovanni Ramirez Will Represent Himself in Case Against LAPD
Ramirez, exonerated as a suspect in the Dodger Stadium beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow, alleges defamation.
A man cleared of the beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium on opening day last year is suing the city and Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck, alleging defamation.
Giovanni Ramirez, who is representing himself, is asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
"The beating was so horrific that news of the incident received worldwide media coverage and generated an immediate and sustained public outcry for the capture of the two assailants,'' according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
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Ramirez says that after his May 2011 arrest, Beck called him the "primary aggressor'' and a "thug'' and insisted the correct man was in custody for the March 31, 2011, beating in the stadium parking lot that left Stow permanently disabled.
"These statements were all done prior to LAPD even conducting a live
lineup and without any forensic evidence to link Ramirez to the Stow beating,''
his lawsuit states.
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An LAPD spokeswoman declined to comment on the complaint.
Read more:
Man Falsely Accused of Dodger Stadium Beating Sues (LA Times)
Giovanni Ramirez Sues LAPD Chief Beck (LA Weekly)
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