Mathew Lee, one of Bryan Stow's friends who witnessed the opening day attack, has died, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Special Section: Bryan Stow Investigation | Case Timeline | Key Events During Night of Attack | Court Documents
The 26-year-old died Sunday as a result of a food allergy, according to LAPD.
KFI AM reported that Lee was allergic to peanuts. Authorities close to the case told the Los Angeles Times that Lee had an allergic reaction after eating a salad.
An autopsy on Lee to determine the exact cause of death was pending.
Earlier in the day, Lee was identified as a witness via documents filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office in connection with a bail reduction hearing for one of two suspects in the case.
The bail reduction hearing for Louie Sanchez was postponed until Aug. 10, but the filings (PDF) provide new details regarding the sequence of events that led to the beating of Stow.
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Stow and his friends were allegedly involved in an altercation with Sanchez and Marvin Norwood after the March 31 Dodgers-Giants game, according to the DA's filing. Stow and his friends walked away, but Sanchez and Norwood continued to follow them in the stadium parking lot, according to the DA.
As Stow was looking at Norwood, Sanchez punched Stow in the side of the head and knocked him to the ground, according to the District Attorney's filing (PDF). Stow's friends then saw his head strike the concrete.
"Stow's friends, who are paramedics, describe that Stow immediately lost consciousness and fell sideways to the ground without breaking his fall," the DA said in the document.
"When Stow's head hit the ground, witnesses heard his head impact the concrete and saw it bounce. Defendant Sanchez then kicked the unconscious Stow several times in the head. Defendant Norwood also approached Stow and kicked him," the DA said in the document.
Sanchez took part in four assaults at the stadium, according to the documents. Before the altercation involving Stow and his friends, Sanchez allegedly threw a drink at a woman inside Dodger Stadium.
After the game, Sanchez ran at a group of men and swung a fist at one, then approached Stow and his friends, according to the DA.
During the first altercation, Sanchez allegedly pushed Stow and punched another man, identified as Lee. Stow and his friends continued walking toward the edge of the parking lot, but Sanchez and Norwood allegedly attacked them again "several hundred feet" from the site of the first altercation.
Sanchez is accused of knocking one of Stow's friends to the ground before attacking Stow from behind.
Monday's filing also included photos of an AR-15 and other guns that authorities said were found in Norwood's home. The weapons belong the Sanchez, according to the DA.
The allegations are part of documents filed in opposition to bail reduction for Sanchez. His attorney, Gilbert Quinones, said he had not seen enough evidence in the case to comment.
After Monday's hearing, the LAPD issued a news release in which investigators requested that other Giants fans who were attacked at the March 31 game contact police.
Bail Reduction Hearing Postponed
Sanchez and Norwood are both scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 10, the same date at which Sanchez's bail-reduction request will be considered.
At a court hearing last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected a defense motion to reduce bail for Norwood, citing "the seriousness of the charges'' and indications he would be a threat to public safety if released. Prosecutors contend in court papers that the high bail amounts are justified since the severity of the injuries to Stow more closely resembled "homicide than an ordinary assault.''
Both men are charged with mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury, all felonies, according to the District Attorney's Office. Sanchez is also charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery stemming from another alleged run-in the same day, when he allegedly attacked another man and woman, according to the criminal complaint.
Stow, a 42-year-old Santa Cruz paramedic and a father of two, remains hospitalized at San Francisco General Hospital.
