Coroner identifies victim of Southwest Bakersfield assault

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The Kern County Coroner has identified the victim of an assault near 5100 White Lane on December 18.

At about 6:55 p.m., officers were dispatched to Southwest Bakersfield regarding a victim of an assault, officers arrived and located a man suffering from a head injury.

The following day, detectives with Bakersfield Police followed up on the case and obtained a warrant to arrest 23-year-old Fidel Ivan Gandara for his role in the assault. Investigators located Gandara and took him into custody without incident and he was booked for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

21-year-old Brian Guzman was transported to Kern Medical. Guzman died from his injuries on December 23.

A postmortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death.