Worker faces felony charge for allegedly pulling gun during argument

A late night argument between two employees sharing a Kalispell area hotel room last week ended with one allegedly pulling out a gun.

Gerald Gonzales Garcia faces a single felony count of assault with a weapon in Flathead County District Court following the June 9 spat. He is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center, according to jail records.

Kalispell Police officers responded to reports of a disturbance involving a firearm at the U.S. 93 South hotel about 11:48 p.m., according to court documents. The person behind the emergency call told authorities that he and a co-worker began arguing over his entering and exiting the shared hotel room.

As the argument heated up, the roommate — identified as Garcia in court documents — allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the victim’s chest.

The two began grappling and the victim eventually wrestled Garcia to the ground, court documents said. After getting the upper hand on the firearm-wielding man, the victim fled the room. As he left, he said he heard a clicking noise, which he chalked up to Garcia trying to fire the gun, according to court documents.

Officers found Garcia walking up a stairwell at the hotel and arrested him, court documents said. Surveillance footage of the hotel showed Garcia exiting the hotel prior to the arrival of officers and heading to several shipping containers in the area. He returned to the hotel a short time later, court documents said.

Investigators subsequently found a gun left near the shipping containers, according to court documents.

The gun matched the description offered by the victim, court documents said.

If convicted, Garcia faces up to 20 years in state prison and a $50,000 fine for assault with a weapon. His case has not yet been assigned to a judge and an arraignment date remains unscheduled.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.