A preliminary hearing for two men accused of attacking Giants baseball fan Bryan Stow last year outside Dodger Stadium began Wednesday morning with a recording from a police inteview with one of the suspects.
Bryan Stow Case: Timeline, Court Documents
About four days of testimony are expected to determine whether there is enough evidence for suspects Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood to stand trial for the March 31, 2011 assault.
The hearing started at about 11 a.m. when the prosecution presented an audio recording of one of the accused admitting he was involved in what he called "that Dodger Stadium thing." The July 21 statement by Marvin Norwood occurred during a police interview.
"Hey, mom, I got arrested for the Dodger Stadium thing… so… yeah… just to let you know. No, I mean, there’s not much I could say about it over the phone… I mean, I was involved. Yeah, it was, I mean, to a certain extent," Norwood can be heard telling his mother during a phone call.
On cross examination, the detective said during the interview that Norwood claimed he and Sanchez were attacked by Giants fans.
Stow, a paramedic from the Bay Area and father of two, is still being treated for his injuries.
"Bryan still doesn't understand or realize what has happened. When he expresses frustration or seems sad or confused, we just remind him of how far he has come and how strong he is,'' according to a post on the Stow family's web site.
Sanchez, 30, and Norwood, 31, are charged with mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury, along with the allegation that the two inflicted great bodily injury on the 43-year-old Stow. Sanchez also is charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery involving another alleged run-in with a man and a woman the same day.
Both men, arrested in July, are charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The attack on Stow occurred as he walked with a group of friends from the 2011 Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. Sanchez and Norwood confronted the group in the parking lot, but Stow and his friends walked away, according to prosecutors.
The two suspects followed the group, then punched Stow in the side of the head before kicking him after he dropped to the ground, according to court documents.
