A 15-hour hostage standoff in Bakersfield, Central California, finally came to an end early on Wednesday morning. The FBI successfully killed the hostage taker, 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searle-Sharris, and all 10 hostages were rescued unharmed.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, FBI Sacramento Office Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel revealed that Searle-Sharris, who briefly served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2007 before being discharged for desertion, had a criminal record as a registered sex offender involved in weapon violence crimes.
The gripping hostage situation unfolded on Tuesday afternoon when a man entered the Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield around 1 p.m. and barricaded himself with 10 hostages on the second floor, prompting a bomb threat.
The building where the incident took place housed not only a branch of Chase Bank but also the office area of the Kern County school district superintendent. Law enforcement confirmed that all hostages were employees of the school district office, with five of them being bound.
Bakersfield Police Department Deputy Chief Jeremy Blakemore stated at the press conference that the suspect claimed to have explosives strapped to himself, which was confirmed by officers on the scene. The suspect also informed law enforcement that he had additional explosives strapped to some of the hostages, a claim that was verified by on-site observations.
Police immediately evacuated nearby buildings, closed roads, and initiated negotiations with the hostage taker to ensure the safety of the hostages.
Through negotiation experts, the suspect released one hostage each at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. However, negotiations reached a deadlock as the suspect refused to release more hostages, leading the FBI to take over the scene around 9 p.m.
The FBI mobilized hundreds of special agents, including SWAT teams from various locations, crisis negotiation teams, and explosive ordnance disposal experts to manage the crisis.
Around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, the law enforcement teams entered the operational phase, and by around 4:30 a.m., the suspect was fatally shot, and all hostages were safely rescued.
The FBI stated that the investigation indicated the suspect did not specifically target the school district office employees as hostages but was extremely dissatisfied with his criminal history and court decisions, possibly serving as one of the motives for the crime. During negotiations, the suspect claimed to have been wrongfully convicted and demanded access to court records related to his case.
As the case is still under investigation, law enforcement officials have not disclosed further details.