On Tuesday, a terrifying hostage situation unfolded in Bakersfield, CA.
A man who reportedly had a bomb strapped to his chest took ten hostages at a Chase Bank in the downtown area.
Law enforcement quickly responded to the scene and began negotiating with the suspect.
If you missed it, here’s our original report on the ordeal:
DEVELOPING: Man With Bomb Strapped to Chest Takes Hostages at Bank in California
Now, we have an update to bring you.
After a 15-hour standoff, the suspect was shot and killed by the FBI early this morning.
All of the hostages are safe, thanks to law enforcement.
Here's some footage from the scene:
🚨 GREAT NEWS: After 15 HOURS, all hostages that were taken inside a California Chase Bank are FREE and SAFE
Thank God! 🙏🏻
The assailant is DEAD. Great job on this, @FBI! pic.twitter.com/xuq4oLFxU6
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 3, 2026
Anthony Scott Searles-Harris has been identified as the suspect.
He was a registered sex offender who had previously been arrested for sex crimes related to minors under the age of 14.
Here's his old mugshot:
Apparently, the Chase Bank building also housed the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office, on the second floor.
All of the hostages taken were school employees.
At this time, it has not been revealed exactly why Searles-Harris targeted the building.
AP reported further:
Authorities stormed the building in downtown Bakersfield overnight, ending a nearly 16-hour standoff during which the suspect tied up half the hostages, police said.
The hostages — employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools — were found unharmed inside the building that also houses a bank, said Bakersfield Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Blakemore.
“Throughout the night, their families questioned whether or not they would be seen again but we are very grateful for the outcome,” Blakemore said during a news conference Wednesday.
Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, was shot and killed around 4:20 a.m., according to Sid Patel, special agent in charge in the FBI’s Sacramento office. Authorities said he was an Army veteran who was dishonorably discharged, had a history of trouble with law enforcement and was a registered sex offender.
ADVERTISEMENTSearles-Harris told police he had a bomb after barricading himself within the second floor of the building, Blakemore said. Authorities were testing the devices Wednesday that Searles-Harris said were explosives, but Patel said they do not appear to be a concern.
One of the hostages was able to communicate with law enforcement using her phone until her battery died, Patel said. She was diabetic and didn’t have her medicine so officials knew she was at risk, he said.
“I’m sure there’ll be mental scars that they’re living with, and we’ll have our victim specialist to help them,” Patel said.
While authorities declined to discuss details about how they ended the standoff or the motive behind it, Blakemore said some of the demands Searles-Harris made involved asking for materials from an earlier case.
ADVERTISEMENT“He had concerns related to how his previous case had been handled and what the aftermath of that was, the sentencing and those kinds of things,” Blakemore said, without specifying details.
California Department of Justice and court records show Searles-Harris was on the state’s sex offender registry due to convictions in 2014 for sexual crimes related to a child under 14 years of age. Those records show he was released from prison in 2018.
FBI officials said Searles-Harris served about a year in the Army before being dishonorably discharged in 2007 for going AWOL.
Court records in Kern County, California, show Searles-Harris filed a petition to prevent domestic violence, and was involved in divorce proceedings that began in 2009 and note a young child, as well as a fight for guardianship years later in which he was listed as an objector.
Fox News provided additional coverage in this clip:
A 15-hour hostage standoff at a Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield, California, ended early Wednesday with all 10 hostages safe and unharmed — after FBI agents stormed the bank and fatally shot the armed suspect who had a bomb strapped to his chest.
The suspect,… pic.twitter.com/MQUSvuZ9tP
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) June 3, 2026
A 15-hour hostage standoff at a Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield, California, ended early Wednesday with all 10 hostages safe and unharmed — after FBI agents stormed the bank and fatally shot the armed suspect who had a bomb strapped to his chest.
The suspect, Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army for going AWOL and was a registered s*x offender with a prior criminal record.
ADVERTISEMENTFox News: “Around 4:30 this morning, an FBI SWAT… stormed this bank… and they shot and killed this individual that had tied up 10 hostages. He himself had a bomb attached to his chest and had attached 5 bombs to 5 of the hostages as well.”
“He also put some IEDs within this building.”
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