UPDATE: Los Angeles Police Department just identified the suspect arrested Sunday morning in the Bryan Stow case. LAPD officials publicly identified the suspect as 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez. Ramirez was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $1 million bail.
One suspect is in custody, but Los Angeles police are actively seeking two more in connection with the brutal beating of Scotts Valley resident Bryan Stow. Stow remains in a coma after being beaten while attending a Dodger baseball game.
"We have significant evidence that leads me to believe we have the right individual," said L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck in a Sunday afternoon news conference.
The man detained early Sunday is believed to be the "main aggressor" in the March 31 beating that left Bryan Stow with brain damage, Los Angeles Chief Charlie Beck said at an afternoon news conference at the stadium.
An emotional Beck hailed the work of 20 full-time detectives who he said have pursued 630 leads in the case so far. The police chief choked back tears as he described getting a call at 7 a.m. Sunday from Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger.
"He said the words I've been waiting for for seven weeks. He said that we had Bryan's assault suspect in custody," Beck said. "This is a huge step."
A tip from the suspect parole officer led police to conduct a raid early Sunday morning. The parole officer appratently became suspicious after calling in the parolee, who had fresh tattoos which covered most of his neck. The officer believed he was trying to cover up existing tattoos that had been identified by witnesses and had been publicized.
A L.A. swat team raided the apartment building where the suspect had been staying around 7 am Sunday, taking away one man - unidentified at this point - in handcuffs.
Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic and father of two, was beaten in a parking lot by two men in Dodgers gear after the season opener against the Giants. No arrests have been made.
Last week, doctors reported that Stow is able to open his eyes but remains in critical condition after being transferred to San Francisco General Hospital. Stow had been at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center since the attack that forced doctors to put him into a medically induced coma to avoid having seizures.
Police Chief Charlie Beck said recently that detectives are looking into about 500 leads in their search for the attackers. Rewards totaling more than $200,000 have been offered for information leading to the suspects' arrests.
Stow's sister said police called her family Sunday morning to inform them about the search warrants.
"I can't even tell you the emotions that we're going through right now," Bonnie Stow told KABC-TV, occasionally choking back tears. "To be excited is the least we can say."
SOURCE: Staff Reports, Associated Press
