Bryan Stow, 42, was attacked by two men in the stadium parking lot on opening day. The savage beating on March 31 left Stow with a severe skull fracture, and he remains in critical but stable condition at a San Francisco hospital.
Police arrested 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez on Sunday, calling him their prime suspect. Police have detained him ever since on a parole hold. But attorney Chip Matthews, who is representing members of Ramirez's family, says Ramirez has a solid alibi.
"It's mistaken identity," Matthews said.
According to Matthews, Ramirez was with his 10-year-old daughter all of opening day - nowhere near Dodger Stadium - and he's willing to take a polygraph test.
Matthews said the girl's uncle picked her and Ramirez up and took them to her aunt's house, where they spent the entire day.
"She is adamant that on opening day of Dodger Stadium, which she remembers very clearly, she was with her dad all that day," Matthews said.
The attorney said he spent several hours talking to Ramirez and his daughter, and there are several friends and relatives who can corroborate the story.
Ramirez has not been formally charged and his attorney said he does not expect for him to be charged anytime this week.
Several witnesses to the beating arrived to the Men's Central Jail on Wednesday evening to see if they could single him out from a group of other jail inmates in a lineup.
"Ramirez got a fair lineup," said the attorney representing Ramirez, Tony Brooklier. "LAPD made sure he was treated fairly and I'm very satisfied with the results."
Under an agreement with the Los Angeles Police Department and district attorney's office, Brooklier could not discuss the results of the lineup.
Police released a statement Wednesday evening saying they, too, were satisfied with the results of the lineup, but did not elaborate.
"We're going to do what we can to show the district attorney's office we have an innocent client," Brooklier said. "Not just that they can't prove it, but that we have an actually innocent client."
Ramirez has two prior felony convictions. Matthews said Ramirez's parole officer alerted police to the fact that he looked like the sketch that's been plastered on several billboards.
"I think because of the nature of the drawing - bald, Latino, male, age 20 to 30 - it could be a million different people," Matthews said. "Unfortunately, I think they picked up on the wrong guy without having all of the information."
Police have not yet identified a second attacker and a woman suspected of driving the pair from the scene.
The Stow family filed a lawsuit, claiming the Dodgers are responsible for Stow's injuries. The suit does not specify a dollar amount, but it alleges that poor security and inadequate lighting by the Dodgers organization is to blame.
"What do you think is going to happen? Alcohol sales are up, security is nonexistent, and the incidents grow and grow," said Stow family attorney Thomas Girardi.
An attorney for the team said that the Dodgers will defend themselves vigorously against the allegations in the lawsuit.
"Mr. [Frank] McCourt and the Dodgers have not wavered in their support of the Stow family, nor in their commitment to work with the Los Angeles Police Department to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. But, to be clear, Mr. McCourt and the Dodgers will defend themselves against the allegations made by Mr. Girardi in the lawsuit that he filed," the attorney said in a statement.
