A California bank scare turned into an overnight hostage nightmare after authorities said a man with explosive devices strapped to his body barricaded himself inside a Bakersfield building.
41-year-old Anthony Scott Searle-Sharris tied up several captives and demanded the FBI get involved before agents shot him dead.
The standoff began around 1 p.m. Tuesday when Bakersfield police were called to a reported “bomb threat” at a Chase branch in the downtown area.
Nearby buildings were evacuated as officers flooded the area with specialized units.
“Every single resource is at the site’s disposal,” Bakersfield Police Sergeant Eric Celedon told reporters Tuesday.
“SWAT team, bomb squad, K9 team, gang unit, negotiators, drone team. Every single asset we have to bring this to the safest conclusion is out here right now,” he added at the time.
Authorities later said the hostage crisis unfolded on the second floor of the building, which also houses the Kern County Superintendent’s Office.
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The hostages worked for a local school district with offices on that floor.
Police said responding officers found a man barricaded inside “with several community members,” though some people were able to flee the building.
A witness inside the bank said the suspect walked in and made an ominous remark before the chaos escalated.
“It’s a bad day to be at the bank,” the suspect said, according to the witness.
Freddy Arredondo told KGET he was at the bank Tuesday afternoon when Searle-Sharris arrived wearing what appeared to be explosive devices and quickly triggered alarm among those inside.
“I was just fearing for my wife, she was outside, my kids, not being able to ever see them again. It was just a lot right there. You sort of feel everything flash before you,” Arredondo told the outlet.
As the suspect began speaking, Arredondo said he carefully backed away before making a run for it.
“I just turned around and started running out and that’s when he started screaming. But when I did that everybody else ran out too so it sort of gave everybody a little more of a chance,” he explained.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said Searle-Sharris was “no stranger to law enforcement.”
Patel said Searle-Sharris had previously been dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army after going absent without leave during his service from 2006 to 2007.
He also had a heinous criminal history. Patel detailed that Searle-Sharris was charged in 2014 in a case involving a child younger than 14 and is listed as a registered sex offender.
By the time the standoff was fully underway, authorities said 10 people had been taken hostage.
Five of them were tied up and Searle-Sharris told police that he had attached explosive devices to several of them.
Crisis negotiators communicated with him by phone, while investigators also stayed in contact with one hostage who had a phone until the device died.
But as the hours dragged on, negotiations between authorities and Searle-Sharris stalled out.
A man barricaded himself inside a bank in Bakersfield, California, with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his body, police said, holding several people hostage. Two hostages were released, police confirmed.
It’s unclear how many people were taken hostage, as of Wednesday… pic.twitter.com/CBnVi9qbJn
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) June 3, 2026
Bakersfield Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Blakemore said Wednesday that the suspect did not appear to have went after the bank or its employees.
Authorities said the suspect was upset over the outcome of an earlier legal matter and believed he had been treated unfairly during the judicial process.
Authorities said Searle-Sharris repeatedly asked to be reunited with his daughter during negotiations, though Blakemore noted that officials never allowed any contact or communication between the two.
Investigators said the suspect himself requested the FBI’s involvement. The bureau took control of the situation around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Two hostages were released before the final confrontation. Authorities reported that negotiations led to the release of one captive Tuesday evening, marking the first breakthrough in the tense standoff.
Another hostage was let go later that night, shortly after 9 p.m.
But attempts to secure the release of the remaining hostages failed, Patel said.
The FBI’s hostage rescue team moved in early Wednesday after officials assessed the suspect’s erratic behavior and the deterioration of the medical condition of one hostage who was diabetic and needed treatment.
At approximately 4:20 a.m., Searle-Sharris was “neutralized” by members of the FBI team, Patel said.
The Bakersfield Police Department later confirmed that the standoff ended in an officer-involved shooting involving FBI personnel.
Bakersfield police said their own officers were not involved in the use of force.
“On Wednesday, June 3, at approximately 4:20 a.m., the hostage situation concluded following an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel,” the department said on Wednesday morning.
“Bakersfield Police Department personnel were not involved in the use of force. All hostages were located unharmed and received medical evaluation and treatment at the scene,”
“The suspect involved in this incident was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing, and a significant law enforcement presence will remain in the area for the next several hours as investigators process the scene,” police added.
All hostages survived and received medical evaluation at the scene.
Police warned the public to expect road closures and delays around the bank into Wednesday afternoon as investigators continued processing the area.
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 requested assistance.
JPMorgan Chase said the branch would remain closed while the company focused on employees affected by the ordeal.
“We are grateful to law enforcement for their swift, professional response and we’re relieved that those who were being held are safe. The branch will remain closed until further notice; we are focused on supporting our employees during this difficult and stressful time, including providing access to resources and assistance,” the company said.
Patel also praised the response from Bakersfield police, calling the department one of the FBI’s “strongest allies.”
“Bakersfield PD did an amazing job with this,” Patel said. “They have an amazing workforce here.”
