10 hostages rescued, suspect neutralized at Chase Bank in Bakersfield
Ten hostages were rescued after a man with suspected explosives took over an office inside a Chase Bank building in Bakersfield, California, according to police and the FBI. The suspect was killed when the FBI’s hostage rescue team entered the building.
The incident began at about 12:59 p.m. on Tuesday when Bakersfield police received calls about a man with an explosive device who had entered the Chase Bank building at Chester Avenue and 17th Street, Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Blakemore said at a briefing on Wednesday.
Blakemore said officers and dispatchers confirmed that the suspect, an adult male, had barricaded himself on the second floor of the building and taken several hostages. The man told officers he had explosives attached to himself, which officers could see, and said explosives had also been attached to some of the hostages.
The hostages were employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, whose office is on the second floor of the building, Blakemore said. Other employees and bank patrons fled during the takeover, and police began evacuating the surrounding area while negotiators tried to secure the release of the hostages.
“There were a total of 10 members of our community whose lives were changed yesterday unexpectedly, but we are thankful that they have been reunited with their loved ones after this ordeal,” Blakemore said. “Throughout the night, their families questioned whether or not they would be seen again, but we are very grateful for the outcome.”
Authorities identified the suspect as Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41. Siddhartha Patel, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Sacramento field office, said Searles-Harris served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2007 but was dishonorably discharged for going AWOL, or absent without leave.
Patel said Searles-Harris was a registered sex offender and had a criminal history involving weapons and violent offenses. He said Searles-Harris was charged in 2014 with sex acts with a child under 14.
Negotiators secured the release of two hostages during the standoff, one at 3:59 p.m. and another at 8:24 p.m., according to Blakemore. Searles-Harris had tied up five hostages on the second floor, though 10 people were being held and all were later recovered without physical injuries.
The FBI assumed operational control at about 9:02 p.m. More than 150 FBI personnel responded, including SWAT teams from Sacramento and Los Angeles, crisis negotiators, bomb technicians from Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco, victim specialists and the FBI’s hostage rescue team from Quantico, Virginia.
FBI SWAT teams took over the crisis site around 9 p.m., followed by the hostage rescue team at about 2 a.m. At about 4:30 a.m., the hostage rescue team entered the building and neutralized Searles-Harris.
Agent Patel said the decision to move in was based on the full circumstances, including the suspect’s behavior and the condition of one hostage who had diabetes. He said the hostage had been communicating with authorities by phone until the phone died, and officers had been able to get medicine to her.
“We knew that this is a loss-of-life situation for that particular hostage that was taken if we didn’t act sooner than later,” Patel said.
Blakemore said negotiations included discussions about food, water and materials related to Searles-Harris’ previous court case. He said some materials were provided in exchange for the release of hostages.
Blakemore said it did not appear that the Kern County Superintendent of Schools or its employees were specifically targeted. He said investigators were aware of at least one YouTube video connected to Searles-Harris, and there was no information at this point showing that anyone else was directly involved.
“Most of it was directed toward conversations that led us to believe that he was really concerned about his previous case history,” Blakemore said. “There were specific elements that he was very frustrated with.”
Blakemore said Searles-Harris mentioned seeing his daughter during negotiations, but no communication took place between them.
Patel said multiple suspected IEDs were examined by bomb technicians after the hostages were rescued. He said the devices raised concern during the standoff, but investigators had determined they were not an active threat at that point, pending additional testing.
Patel said investigators found other “concerning items” during a search warrant at the home of the suspect.
Patel said Searles-Harris had asked early in the standoff for FBI involvement and FBI negotiators. He said his assumption was that choosing a bank, or a location that could draw a federal response, increased the chance of FBI involvement.
“This has been a horrific event,” Patel said. “[The hostages] were all unharmed physically. I’m sure there will be mental scars that they’ll be living with, and we’ll have our victim specialists to help them.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
