Statements from Villaraigosa, McCourt on arrest in Stow case*

OK, the statement shapers got their work done in time for the LAPD to announce this afternoon they have formally arrested a 31-year-old man in the Bryan Stow beating. He's the man on the left in the poster the LAPD put out of two suspects in the case. His name won't be released until he is booked later; the L.A. Times story says the newspaper knows the name but is holding it back at the request of police while the other suspect is sought. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said there have been 20 detectives working full time on the assault case, and since that's a lot more than work on a murder it gives you an idea of the importance that the city machinery puts on finding Stow's attackers. The suspect arrested today reportedly has a record of convictions and had new tattoos, possibly in an effort to hide the ones police were looking for.

* Update: The LAPD names the suspect as Giovanni Ramirez, 31. He's booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Bail set at $1 million.

Statements by Mayor Villaraigosa and Dodgers boss Frank McCourt are after the jump.

From City Hall:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today issued the following statement on LAPD taking a suspect in custody for the brutal beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow on Opening Day at Dodgers stadium.
"Thanks to a tip from a vigilant law enforcement official, the LAPD was able to serve two search warrants early this morning and make an arrest in this case.

"This new development is a reminder of the progress we make by working together as a community and with law enforcement to ensure justice is carried out. Any piece of information, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time, is part of a larger puzzle.

"I commend Chief Beck and the LAPD for taking action swiftly and following all the leads that brought us to this day. Our thoughts remain with Bryan Stow and his family as we all pray for his continued recovery."

From the Dodgers

Dodger owner Frank McCourt made the following statement today regarding the arrest of a suspect in the attack on Bryan Stow. “First and foremost, our thoughts today are with Bryan Stow and his family and we hope that this announcement brings them a small measure of relief in what has been an extremely difficult time in their lives.
On behalf of the Dodger organization and our fans, I want to extend our most sincere appreciation and ‘thank you’ to Chief Charlie Beck and the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. From the outset, the Chief made an unwavering commitment to do everything possible to find and apprehend the suspects in the brutal and cowardly attack that took place against Mr. Stow on Opening Day.

From that point forward, I gave my word to Chief Beck that he would have the full support of everyone at the Dodgers and we have worked in close partnership with the LAPD on this matter. We pledge our continued cooperation with law enforcement authorities during the prosecution phase that will ensue.

The Dodgers are committed to providing our fans the safest sports venue in the United States – this is a commitment that we take very seriously.

Chief Beck, thank you for using every available LAPD resource to find and arrest this suspect, who will now be brought to justice.”