Man Who Beat Giants Fan at Dodger Stadium Pleads Not Guilty to Weapons Charge

One of two men who almost beat San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow to death outside Dodger Stadium pleaded not guilty today to a federal weapons possession charge.

Marvin Norwood, 33, of Rialto entered his plea in Los Angeles federal court to one count of felony possession of firearms/ammunition, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence upon conviction.

Louie Sanchez, 31, also of Rialto, faces the same charge, but has not entered a plea in the federal case.

In a brief court appearance, Norwood, wearing white jail clothing, was chained at the ankles, wrists and waist. Garish tattoos were visible on his arms, neck and across his throat.

Asked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick if he understood the charge, Norwood responded to the male jurist, "Yes, ma'am."

Eick set a tentative trial date for April 29, but that is expected to be postponed.

Norwood was taken into federal custody Feb. 21, a day after he and Sanchez pleaded guilty in state court to the near-fatal Stow assault and were each 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 in the Stow assault and was about to be released before federal authorities pounced.

Authorities said they found about a half-dozen weapons -- two semiautomatic rifles and a pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun and a revolver -- along with nearly 70 rounds of ammunition when they searched Norwood's home in connection with the Stow assault.

Norwood told police that the guns were not his and that he had allowed Sanchez to store them at his residence. Federal authorities, however, said they determined that the weapons were in the possession of and available to both men.

Court records showed both Norwood and Sanchez had prior convictions in San Bernardino before the unprovoked Stow assault at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day 2011.

Sanchez was convicted of evading an officer in 2006 and a misdemeanor count of domestic violence in 2003. Norwood 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.

Norwood is being held without bond pending trial on the firearms charge.

Sanchez is serving an eight-year sentence in state prison for his role in the Stow assault.

Stow, 45, a father of two and former paramedic, remains severely impaired. He spent the first two years after the attack in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities and still requires daily care by his family.

—City News Service