Dodger Stadium attack investigation stalls, LAPD detectives want public’s help

Los Angeles police are poring over “voluminous” video footage from Dodger Stadium following an attack that left a fan on life support, but have so far been unable to identify any suspects, detectives said Thursday.

Captain Billy Hayes of the Los Angeles Police Department said investigators were searching through hours of security camera video shot mostly inside the stadium, tracking fans who were headed to the area of the parking lot where the attack occurred.

The problem, Hayes said, has been picking out anyone from that crowd who matched the description of the man who struck 47-year-old Rafael Reyna of Eastvale as he was walking back to his car after the game between the Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

According to the only witness to the attack who has come forward so far, the suspect was described as being in his 20s, with a clean-shaven face, wearing a grey sweatshirt, blue jeans and a blue Dodgers cap.

Hayes said the man was described as standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 150 pounds.

A woman with the suspect was described as standing 5-foot-4, with a thin build, wearing a white Dodgers jersey.

“What you have is two people who are fairly nondescript,” Hayes said Thursday at LAPD’s downtown headquarters. “As you can imagine going to a Dodgers game, 90 percent of the people are in Dodgers wear, baseball caps or jersey.”

Complicating the investigation is the fact that there is no security camera footage from the parking lot itself where the attack occurred, Hayes said.

The incident began as an argument between Reyna and the suspect in Lot 3 of the stadium, after the lengthy game ended between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. on March 28.

At some point as they exchanged words, the suspect punched Reyna once in the head, causing him to fall backwards onto his buttocks. As he fell, Reyna hit his head on the pavement, suffering significant head trauma, Hayes said. A witness nearby called for medical aid, and Reyna was taken to USC/LA County Medical Center in East L.A.

It’s still not clear exactly what the men were arguing about, and Hayes said he would not elaborate.

“I believe I know the cause of that altercation,” he said. “However, I’m not willing to discuss it at this point. I’d like to get independent accounts of what transpired there rather than tainting anybody who comes forward.”

He said Reyna and the suspect did not know each other prior to the argument.

Hayes said investigators had also ruled out potential suspects who were seen leaving in a white SUV from the area of the attack. He said detectives, through the same video surveillance, tracked down the vehicle and interviewed the owners, but it was clear they were not involved.

To continue the investigation, he said detectives need help from the public.

“We cannot express enough that we believe there are additional witnesses out there, individuals who are aware of the identities of this young man and this woman,” Hayes said. “We encourage them to come forward.”

The captain said he learned Reyna regained consciousness this week, recovering to the point where he could be taken off life-support, although he remained in critical condition.

Carl Douglas, an attorney for Reyna’s family, also said earlier this week that the man’s condition had improved somewhat.

Douglas did not return a request for comment Thursday.

David Lira, another attorney for Reyna, said the case was “eerily” similar to the attack on Bryan Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan left with brain damage after a brutal 2011 beating by two men from Rialto in the same area of the Dodgers parking lot.

Lira was among the attorneys who secured a multi-million dollar payout for Stow from the Dodgers after that attack.

On Tuesday, Lira said the Dodgers parking lot still has inadequate lighting and security.

He called on the team to “put in a security plan and system that protects its fans.”

In a statement Tuesday, the Dodgers called the attack “unfortunate” and said the team was committed to ensuring the safety of its fans, but refused to comment further about security measures in the parking lot.

LAPD Commander Ruby Flores said additional security measures were put in place at Dodger Stadium following the attack on Stow, including a “state-of-the-art” command center that gives officers and stadium security a “360 view of the stadium, inside and outside.”

Flores, who is a commander at LAPD’s Central Bureau, which covers Chavez Ravine, said she was confident Dodger Stadium is “one of the safest in the country.” She said fights reported inside the stadium, some captured on videos shared and viewed widely on social media, are atypical.

She said with millions of people visiting the stadium over the last two years there were “no incidents.”

“This is an isolated incident,” Flores said. “Very unfortunate, but isolated.”