A man who held 10 people hostage during an hours-long standoff at a bank building in Bakersfield, California, after threatening to detonate explosives, was shot and killed by FBI agents early Wednesday, authorities said.
Police identified the suspect as 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, who was pronounced dead at the scene following an officer-involved shooting involving FBI personnel, according to Bakersfield police and FBI officials.
Officials said he was killed at about 4:20 a.m. after federal agents entered the downtown building where the hostages were being held. The FBI's Sacramento field office said the shooting occurred as tactical teams moved in when negotiations failed to secure the safe surrender of the suspect, according to CNN.
The incident began shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday when Bakersfield officers responded to a reported bomb threat at a four-story Chase Bank building that also houses offices for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, police said.
Police said the man barricaded himself inside with 10 school district employees after claiming he had strapped explosives to himself and some of the hostages. The report of a possible bomb triggered a large law enforcement response, including local police, sheriff's deputies, and federal agents.
All 10 hostages were eventually freed unharmed and were given medical evaluations at the scene, according to Bakersfield police.
Authorities said some of the victims were tied up during the ordeal but did not suffer physical injuries. Two hostages were released during negotiations on Tuesday night before the remaining victims were rescued when tactical teams entered the building.
The standoff lasted more than 15 hours and led to lockdowns and evacuations across several blocks of downtown Bakersfield, including nearby government buildings and businesses, officials said, Sky News reported.
Roads around Chester Avenue and 17th Street were closed as bomb technicians, crisis negotiators, and armored vehicles remained on scene through the night. Authorities used loudspeakers and telephone communications in repeated attempts to persuade the suspect to surrender peacefully.
Officials later said Searles-Harris was an Army veteran who had been dishonorably discharged after going absent without leave and was a registered sex offender with prior convictions involving a child under 14.
Court and law enforcement records show he had a history of contact with police, including earlier violent offenses and family-related legal disputes.
Investigators said some of his demands during the standoff referenced documents and grievances tied to his past criminal cases, which remain under review by authorities as they work to determine a motive, as per Boston Globe.
