By Khalida Sarwari
A man was killed Wednesday during a SWAT operation in Greenfield in which officers were searching for another man suspected of shooting three men outside of a bar on New Year’s Day, police said today.
At about 9 a.m., members of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Special Response Unit and the Monterey County sheriff’s SWAT Team served search warrants at two homes, one located in the 1000 block of Heidi Street and the other in the 200 block of San Antonio Drive, according to police.
Officers were looking for Alejandro Jose Gonzalez, a 23-year-old Greenfield resident suspected in a shooting in Monterey on Saturday, police said.
The SWAT team went to the San Antonio Drive address around 9 a.m. and used a P.A. system to order the occupants to come outside. At about 10:30 a.m., they deployed a flash grenade — a diversionary device that is designed to make a loud explosion and emit smoke — to enter the home, according to police.
The home caught on fire shortly after, police said. Police are investigating whether it was as a result of the flash grenade, sheriff’s Cmdr. Mike Richards said.
After the fire was extinguished, the body of a man was found inside the home. He has been identified by the Monterey County Coroner’s Office as Rogelio Serrato, 31, of Greenfield.
Gonzalez was not at either home, police said. He is still at large, and police consider him to be armed and dangerous.
Gonzalez was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing about 220 pounds.
Police said he was involved in a shooting that occurred around 1:45 a.m. Saturday in front of the Mucky Duck, a nightclub and restaurant located at 479 Alvarado St.
It appears the shooting stemmed from an altercation that started inside the business. Employees escorted two unruly people outside the bar. A fight erupted between the employees and three men, during which Gonzalez allegedly brandished a handgun and shot three men, police said.
The victims were taken to Bay Area hospitals and are expected to survive, police said.
Police do not believe the shooting was gang related.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Serrato’s death, and the internal affairs unit will investigate whether the officers’ actions were within department policy, Richards said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Monterey Police Department investigations division at (831) 646-3809 or leave information on the anonymous tip line at (831) 646-3840.