FBI kills Bakersfield hostage suspect at Chase Bank
FBI kills Bakersfield hostage suspect at Chase Bank
A 12-hour hostage standoff at a downtown Bakersfield building housing a Chase Bank and school district offices ended early Wednesday morning after the suspect was shot and killed by FBI agents and all remaining hostages were safely rescued.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A 12-hour hostage standoff at a downtown Bakersfield building housing a Chase Bank and school district offices ended early Wednesday morning after the suspect was shot and killed by FBI agents and all remaining hostages were safely rescued.
The standoff ended at around 4:20 a.m., according to police.
There had been 10 hostages inside the bank since Tuesday afternoon, and all were found to be OK, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement.
Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, was shot and killed around 4:20 a.m., according to Sid Patel, of the FBI’s Sacramento field office. Patel said the suspect has a history of violence and is a registered sex offender.
Bomb threat at Chase Bank
The backstory:
Nancy Guthrie case: FBI gives suspect description
FBI officials have released a description of the suspect involved in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
The dramatic end capped an event that began Tuesday afternoon when the Bakersfield Police Department responded to a bomb threat at the Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield.
A man barricaded himself inside the structure with several hostages, prompting the immediate evacuation of nearby buildings, including City Hall and the police headquarters, according to authorities.
The police department's crisis negotiation team established contact with the suspect by telephone.
During these negotiations on Tuesday, two hostages were successfully released, officials said.
Bakersfield, a city of about 380,000 residents, is the seat of largely rural Kern County and is about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Motive unknown
What we don't know:
Police vehicles and emergency personnel secure the perimeter outside a bank branch as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, ATF personnel and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials secure the area outside a Chase Bank branch in Bakersfiel
Police have not detailed what specific actions prompted the FBI to open fire early Wednesday morning, or why the suspect took the hostages.
"We have every single resource at our disposal out here to bring this to the safest resolution possible," Bakersfield police Sgt. Eric Celedon said Tuesday during the early hours of the standoff.
What they're saying:
Jacob Davidson, a local livestreamer known as Dad’s Gone Live, witnessed the massive response from a family tattoo shop one block away.
"I went into the bank’s parking garage and watched the cops enter the back of the bank. This is the biggest police presence I’ve ever seen in this town," Davidson said. Davidson's livestream later captured a woman rocking back and forth through a building window Tuesday night before crouching down, followed by the sight of two waving hands.
A significant law enforcement presence will remain in downtown Bakersfield for several hours as investigators process the active scene.
The Source: This story was reported from Los Angeles. This report is based on information provided by the Bakersfield Police Department and JPMorgan Chase representatives. The Associated Press contributed.