A man who had been holding several people hostage inside a Bakersfield, California bank has been shot and killed by FBI agents during an ongoing standoff on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Bakersfield Police Department Sgt. Eric Celedon, the suspect entered the Chase Bank building downtown around 1 p.m. local time and barricaded himself with an unknown number of individuals inside. The crisis began after a reported bomb threat at the bank, which police say led to negotiations that lasted hours. During the standoff, two hostages were first released, followed by a second hostage being freed later.
Celedon stated that the suspect was in contact with negotiators via telephone throughout the incident and that authorities had not confirmed whether a bomb was present. “The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are assisting,” Celedon added when asked about resources deployed.
The suspect was killed in an officer-involved shooting by Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel, according to the Bakersfield Police Department. All hostages were located unharmed and received medical evaluation at the scene with no injuries reported.
During the incident, multiple locations including Bakersfield City Hall, local police headquarters, nearby buildings, and several roads were closed as the police negotiation team worked to resolve the situation. A full range of resources was on-site, including SWAT teams, bomb squads, K9 units, gang units, negotiators, and drone teams.
Chase Bank representatives confirmed they were aware of the incident at their downtown branch.
