Jury Indicts Two Men Who Nearly Beat Giants Fan to Death Outside Dodger Stadium

A federal grand jury has indicted the two men who nearly beat San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow to death outside Dodger Stadium on gun possession charges, according to a court document obtained today.

Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez, both of Rialto, are charged with one count each of felon in possession of firearms/ammunition, which carries a maximum 10-year federal prison sentence upon conviction.

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles filed an early version of the charge against the men last May.

Norwood was taken into federal custody on Feb. 21, a day after he and Sanchez pleaded guilty in state court to the near-fatal Stow assault and were sentenced.

Norwood had spent eight months in county jail beyond the two years of the four-year sentence he was required to serve as part of  a plea deal and was about to be released.

According to the indictment, both Norwood and Sanchez were convicted of felony crimes in San Bernardino before the Stow assault.

Sanchez, 31, was convicted of evading an officer in 2006 and a misdemeanor count of domestic violence three years previously. Norwood, 30, was found guilty of felony spousal assault in 2006, the indictment shows.

The weapons and ammunition were recovered from the garage attic crawl space at Norwood's home, federal prosecutors said.

The weapons included a Bushmaster assault rifle, with scope and magazine attached; a Marlin semi-automatic rifle; a Mossberg semi-automatic shotgun loaded with five rounds of 12-gauge ammunition; and other handguns and ammo, according to the indictment.

In an interview with police, Norwood allegedly said the guns belonged to Sanchez but he kept them at his house because "Sanchez does not have a place to store the guns," according to an affidavit filed in support of the federal complaint.

Federal prosecutors determined that the weapons were in the possession of both defendants and available to both of them.

Norwood was ordered held without bond pending trial on the firearms charge. He faces a post-indictment arraignment on March 13, at which time further court dates will scheduled.

Sanchez was sentenced to eight years in state prison for his role in the Stow assault. No federal court dates were immediately available.

—City News Service