BAKERSFIELD, Cali. (TNND) — A suspect who held 10 hostages for more than 15 hours inside a California building housing a Chase Bank and a school district office was shot and killed by the FBI early Wednesday, according to police.
Anthony Scott Searle-Sharris, 41, was identified as the suspect. Searle-Sharris served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2007 and was dishonorably discharged after going AWOL, FBI Sacramento Field Office Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said during a news conference.
Patel said Searle-Sharris was well known to law enforcement and had a criminal history that included violent offenses involving weapons in 2014. He was also convicted of sex crimes involving a child under 14 and was a registered sex offender.
Anthony Scott Searle-Sharris (PHOTO: Megan’s Law)
Bakersfield police said officers began receiving calls around 12:59 p.m. Tuesday about a man who had entered the Chase Bank building and barricaded himself on the second floor, where employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools work. Authorities said the hostages were employees of the school district office.
“The suspect advised he had explosives attached to his person, which our personnel could see as well,” Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Blakemore told reporters. “He also told law enforcement that additional explosives had been attached to some of the hostages, which we confirmed based on our own observations.”
Authorities immediately evacuated nearby buildings and established communication with the suspect in an effort to secure the release of the hostages and negotiate a peaceful surrender.
Officials said negotiators successfully secured the release of two hostages at approximately 3:59 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. During those negotiations, authorities exchanged food, water and materials related to the suspect’s previous court case for the hostages’ release.
According to Patel, Searle-Sharris had tied up five of the 10 hostages and repeatedly expressed frustration over a prior criminal case. Authorities said he told negotiators he believed he had been wrongfully convicted and wanted access to court records related to the case.
Investigators said there is currently no indication that employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools were specifically targeted.
Negotiations eventually stalled, and the suspect refused to release any additional hostages. The FBI assumed operational control of the incident at 9:02 p.m.
Authorities said they grew increasingly concerned about the health of one hostage who was diabetic and remained in communication with negotiators by cellphone until the device lost power. Officers were able to provide the hostage with medication, but officials feared the situation could become life-threatening if the standoff continued.
The Bakersfield Police Department said the standoff ended at 4:20 a.m. after “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) personnel,” adding that all hostages were located and unharmed.
Patel said the FBI deployed personnel from Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco, including SWAT teams, bomb technicians and crisis negotiators. The agency also sent its elite Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico, Virginia, to assist with the response.
Officials said multiple suspected explosive devices recovered during the incident remain under investigation. Authorities have not yet determined whether the devices were functional.
