Troopers investigate Wasilla bar fight gone bad

July 8, 2007

By GREG JOHNSON

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Alaska State Troopers continue to investigate an early morning Fourth of July melee that hospitalized an Anchorage man with multiple gunshot wounds.

Miguel Guarderas, 26, was shot at about 4 a.m. Wednesday outside The Zoo bar at the Mat-Su Resort when a domestic squabble inside the bar escalated when it was moved outside the watering hole, said Megan Peters, public information officer for Alaska State Troopers.

Guarderas was transported to Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage for treatment. The hospital declined to acknowledge Guarderas' condition or presence at the hospital, citing health care privacy laws.

Other than that the victim was not fatally wounded and transported to Alaska Regional Hospital, troopers do not know Guarderas' condition, Peters said.

Troopers are &#8220trying to sort out who was who” and have not made any arrests in the shooting, Peters said. Although Guarderas was the only person shot, &#8220more than one weapon [was discharged]. We have identified types of weapons used, we know what caliber they are … and we have impounded [two] vehicles.”

An altercation began inside the bar when a couple that was part of a six-person party began to argue, Peters said. Some others within the group of six became involved, at which time management at The Zoo decided to close the bar early. That left about 30-40 patrons in the parking lot, where the original argument escalated to involve more people.

&#8220It started between one of the couples there [in the bar] and kind-of spiraled out of control,” Peters said. &#8220This core group of six people is the main focus of this. When they're outside, one gunshot goes off, then a break, then a series of gunshots, then a break, then more gunshots.”

No arrests have been made, but troopers are interviewing witnesses and potential suspects, Peters said.

&#8220The investigators are making progress on it and are getting a handle on it and hopefully will get this taken care of very soon,” she said.

The Fourth of July incident isn't the first troopers have responded to at the Mat-Su Resort, Peters said. &#8220We've been called out [there] a couple of times on some serious calls.”

A phone call to resort management to comment on the incident was not returned by press time.

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2268 or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.