There will be a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening for people who want to show support for the Giants fan beaten unconscious by a Dodgers fan last Thursday night.
Los Angeles officials announced the location as the clinic tower outside Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles. The police department is still seeking information that will lead to the arrest of the two men who beat Bryan Stow, 42 who is a father of two and a paramedic from Santa Cruz, CA. Anyone who believes he or she saw or heard anything that might be helpful, is asked to call 877-527-3247. On Tuesday, the LA City Council doubled the existing reward for information to a total of $100,000. That story follows below.
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The L.A. City Council has doubled the reward to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of two men who beat a man outside Dodgers Stadium last week.
That man, Bryan Stow, 42 of Santa Cruz, California is a San Francisco Giants fan. He attended the MLB Opening Day game between the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers last Thursday night and never made it home. He is in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital. Doctors have put Stow in a medically induced coma and are unsure if he will survive without brain damage.
He and companions were accosted by two Dodgers fans in the parking lot after the game. Stow was unable to escape from two shaven-headed young men in Dodgers clothing. They began taunting and swearing at him and two other fans, who were all wearing Giants gear, Los Angeles police said. Stow was punched in the back of the head. He fell down, bashing his head on the pavement, and was kicked before the attackers ran off.
Dr. Gabriel Zada, a neurosurgeon at USC Medical Center told media today about Stow's condition. "He suffered a severe skull fracture and bad bruising to his brain's frontal lobes," which according to Zada required doctors to remove part of his skull to relieve the pressure between the skull and his badly swollen brain. It is a similar technique used on Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Dr. Zada continued, "There is evidence of brain injury and dysfunction. It's going to be a long recovery process."
The LAPD issued a sketch drawing of the two men who are wanted for questioning in connection with the tragedy. They also released information about what they believe was the auto used to escape the scene. It is a four-door sedan, driven by a woman with a young boy in tow.
There have been serious incidents outside Dodgers Stadium in the past, including a fan being stabbed in 2009, but the Dodgers organization has steadfastly refused to speak about what, if anything they are planning to do in the future about tightening security in the vast parking lots. The outcry is not only heard in Los Angeles but in San Francisco and at the headquarters of Major League Baseball.
In the course of the last five days, a reward that was offered by the Dodgers, in the amount of $25,000 has multiplied with pledges from political figures in Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Giants baseball organization and the company for which Mr. Stow worked.
Today, the L.A. City Council voted to double the total to $100,000. City Supervisor Mike Antonovich asked for beefed up security in and around Dodgers Stadium and for a strict limit on alcohol sales. He told media today, "The Dodgers organization has an obligation to make security a top priority now," he said. "Denying that lack of security played a role in this attack is simply sticking their head in the sand."
In addition to the call for more concern for attendees safety, Councilman Dennis Zine, a former L.A. police officer who once worked at the notoriously rowdy Raiders games, suggested today that the Dodgers match the reward offered by the city. "I hope the Dodgers will step forward and add to the reward," Zine said after the City Council vote. As of Tuesday evening, there was nothing new forthcoming from the team.
The San Francisco Giants will be dedicating their first home game to Stow and will ask for donations to be given to his family.
Los Angeles police are asking for anyone who might have seen or heard the incident to please call them and help bring the two men to justice. They believe that at least 100 people were close enough to observe or hear the commotion that ensued.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, Dodgers Stadium, 2009
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