Troopers say armed customer shot at fleeing suspect

WASILLA — New details emerged Tuesday in a weekend armed robbery attempt in the Meadow Lakes area.

Miguel Gil, 19, of Peters Creek, remained in Mat-Su Pretrial Wednesday morning on charges of first-degree armed robbery and third-degree assault, courts and corrections documents show. A Palmer magistrate on Tuesday set bail at $10,000 cash or corporate with a court-appointed third-party custody requirement.

The robbery attempt took place around 9:30 p.m. Sunday when Gil allegedly walked into the Holiday gas station wearing a gas mask and carrying what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from the store clerk, according to an affidavit written by trooper Ron Hayes. The gun — which troopers said resembled a Beretta handgun — was later revealed to be an airsoft pellet gun.

The clerk refused to hand over the money, so Gil began counting down from three.

“Once the suspect reached 1, the clerk still did not hand over the money, and the suspect ran out of the store and westbound through the parking lot,” Hayes wrote.

At that point, an armed customer who witnessed the robbery attempt opened fire on Gil as the robbery suspect ran across the parking lot, according to the affidavit. The customer fired a 9mm handgun, none of which struck Gil. According to troopers, nine shell casings were found at the scene.

Gil was picked up by the same maroon Pontiac that dropped him off at the store, and a customer of the Holiday store — it wasn’t immediately clear whether it was the same customer who shot at Gil — pursued the car along Meadow Lakes Loop, but lost the vehicle. Troopers refused to say whether the customer who pursued Gil was the same person who fired the shots.

After the robbery attempt, troopers contacted Gunar Cruikshank, who told troopers he was in the back of the Pontiac when Gil committed the robbery.

“Gil had told Cruikshank he was going to do the robbery,” Hayes wrote. “No one believed him until he did it.”

Troopers eventually located the car at an address in Meadow Lakes, where they recovered the gas mask and pellet gun. Hayes called Gil’s father, and on Tuesday, the younger Gil called Hayes back and allegedly admitted to the crime.

“Gil stated he was drunk and stupid,” Hayes wrote.

Hayes arrested Gil in Peters Creek, and transported him to jail.

Troopers have contacted everyone involved with the incident and the investigation is ongoing, said trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.