Beaten Giants fan is returned to medically induced coma

A San Francisco Giants fan who was kicked and beaten by two attackers in a Dodger Stadium parking lot had to be returned to a medically induced coma over the weekend and is expected to remain unconscious for at least another week, hospital officials said Monday.

Surgeons at County-USC Medical Center on Friday reduced Bryan Stow’s coma-inducing medication, allowing the 42-year-old father of two to regain consciousness for the first time since the March 31 assault left him with a fractured skull and brain damage.

But on Saturday morning, Stow, a Santa Clara, Calif.-area paramedic, began having seizures, said Rosa Saca, hospital spokeswoman. Given the potential damage from the seizures, neurosurgeons decided to return Stow to a coma for a week. “He remains in critical condition,” Saca said.

Members of Stow’s family, who have pleaded with the public to help detectives find his attackers, continue to be at his bedside daily. His two children, Tyler, 12, and Tabitha, 8, remain in the Santa Cruz area.

Stow was walking with two friends across the stadium’s parking lot when he was attacked from behind after the season’s opening game. While still inside the stadium, Stow sent a text message to his wife saying he felt “scared,” family members said.

As the two men attacked, they yelled an expletive about the Giants.

One attacker is described as a stocky Latino, 18 to 25 years old, with a shaved head, goatee and mustache. He has a distinct mole on his left cheek and weighs about 170 pounds, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. The other is described as a taller Latino or white male, about 6 feet, 1 inch and 170 pounds, with hazel eyes and short hair. The two were with a woman with a 10-year-old child.

A $150,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the assailants. Despite dozens of tips from witnesses, investigators said, they continue to seek a break in the case.

With Stow’s assault becoming national news, the LAPD and Dodgers last week beefed up the number of officers patrolling the stadium and parking lot. Officers on horseback, bicycle and foot stood guard. In addition, 43 light stands were added to the parking lot on the advice of former LAPD Chief William J. Bratton, whose firm was hired to advise the team on security improvements.

Dodger owner Frank McCourt told reporters the team would have zero tolerance for misbehavior and would eject taunting fans who could provoke violence.

Since the attack, Stow’s colleagues at American Medical Response have led efforts to raise money for his medical and family expenses. Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum donated $25,000 to the Bryan Stow Fund while the Dodgers, led by legendary former manager Tommy Lasorda, held a fundraising drive in the stadium parking lot.

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