Police Chief Charlie Beck apologizes (sort of) for arrest of Giovanni Ramirez

In an LAT oped over the weekend, he calls the arrest "regrettable," but also defends the decision to bring in Ramirez in connection with the vicious beating of Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium, noting that "we met our burden of proof."

At the time of his arrest, we had evidence, including eyewitness accounts, that linked Ramirez to Stow's beating. After his arrest, I asked a fresh set of detectives to review the case, pursue all leads and ensure justice was done. Their work led to the conclusion that Ramirez was not involved in the beating, and charges were not filed against him.

Beck seems to be leaving a lot out, such as why he didn't assign more experienced detectives to the high-profile case in the first place - a decision I would guess he now regrets big time. Beck does say that he could have been "more circumspect" in his early comments (as in not insisting to the world that Ramirez was the guy), and that the media "should be more restrained and cautious." Now that's rich.