Hostage situation in Southern California bank ends after suspect shot dead, Bakersfield police say
An hourslong standoff that began Tuesday came to an end early Wednesday after a suspect who had barricaded himself inside a bank building in Bakersfield, California was shot by Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel, authorities said.
The incident began unfolding at around 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday when officers were dispatched to a report of a “bomb threat” at a Chase bank branch downtown. Police said officers arrived to find a man who had barricaded himself in the building “with several community members.” Some people were able to escape, police said.
All the buildings in the surrounding area were evacuated. Police responded with SWAT teams, hostage negotiators and a bomb squad.
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Early Tuesday evening, Bakersfield police Sgt. Eric Celedon said in a social media video that the suspect had agreed to release one of the hostages.
“Through our negotiations with the individual inside, we were able to negotiate the safe surrender of one of the hostages inside the building,” Celedon said.
A little after 9 p.m. local time, police announced in an update that the suspect had agreed to the release of a second hostage.
At 4:20 a.m. local time, the hostage situation “concluded following an officer-involved shooting” by FBI personnel, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a news release. The police department said it was not involved in the use of force. The FBI’s Sacramento office previously said on social media that it was “aware of the crisis in progress” and was sending assistance.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, the department said. The suspect has not been identified, and details about what led up to the standoff have not been provided. A news conference is set for later Wednesday.
The remaining hostages were unharmed, the department said, and received medical evaluation at the scene.
“We are aware of the ongoing situation occurring at the building where our branch is located on the ground floor,” a Chase Bank spokesperson told CBS News in a statement. “The branch is currently empty, and we are working with authorities.”
Police said the public should expect road closures and delays in the area around the bank until sometime this afternoon.
An official with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office earlier told CBS News that Bakersfield police had alerted the sheriff’s office about the incident, but had not asked for assistance.
Bakersfield is located about 110 miles north of Los Angeles.
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