News in Brief

Man Dies in Accident at Berkeley Horse Racetrack

An exercise rider at a horse-racing track in Berkeley was killed Sunday when the horse he was riding flipped over and crushed him.

Veteran exercise rider Ignacio Ramirez, 58, received fatal injuries early Sunday morning when the filly, a thoroughbred horse, fell on him in the barn area of Golden Gate Fields after being spooked, Robert Hartman, the field's general manager, said in a statement.

Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene, said Albany Fire Department Captain John Weitzel.

Ramirez was quickly treated by two emergency medical technicians stationed in a ambulance at the racetrack, Weitzel said. However, the technicians were unable to revive Ramirez.

Albany firefighters arrived within three minutes, Weitzel said.

It is unknown what spooked the race horse. The horse was not injured in the fall, Hartman said in the statement.

Although horse-racing accidents are uncommon, they do happen periodically, Weitzel said. However, in his experience with the department, there have been few incidents as dramatic as this one.

"(Accidents) do happen from time to time­-not that often­, and certainly not to the extent that happened the other day," Weitzel said. "I've been here for 15 years and I can't recall if this has ever happened."

Hartman said the accident would affect everyone at the track.

"This was a tragic accident," he said, in the statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to (Ramirez's) family and friends. It's a very sad day for the entire racing community."

- Kat Murti

Man Arrested After Following Students Into Unit 1 Building

A man was arrested on suspicion of robbery, battery of a peace officer and false imprisonment after he followed a group of students into a UC Berkeley dormitory early Saturday morning.

Jeremy Bowman, 19, followed a group of students into Unit 1-Slottman Hall at about 1:26 a.m. and was stopped by senior Keith Ryan, the on-duty security monitor.

Bowman, who is not a UC Berkeley student, allegedly stole Ryan's cell phone, according to UCPD Sgt. Eric Tejada.

Ryan was able to call UCPD to report the incident, and officers in the area arrested Bowman in the Unit 1 courtyard. Bowman was not armed.

After being taken into custody, Bowman allegedly spit on a police officer.

UCPD decided not to charge Bowman with trespassing as he did not break into the building, Tejada said.

Police officers recovered and returned Ryan's cell phone.

Bowman is being held at the Berkeley City Jail in lieu of $2,500 bail.

Tejada said Ryan handled the situation appropriately.

"Sounds like the security monitor did exactly what he was supposed to do," he said.

Tejada said that following the highly publicized Clark Kerr Campus break-in this September, UCPD has been trying to educate students to take preventative measures to ward off dormitory robberies.

"We really try to get the word out to people to lock windows and doors," he said.

Ashley Trott covers crime. Contact her at atrott@dailycal.org

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