Police and emergency responders swarmed a downtown bank in Bakersfield, California, after a man allegedly threatened to detonate explosives and barricaded himself inside with at least one hostage, prompting evacuations, street closures, and lockdowns at nearby government buildings.
The incident unfolded shortly after 1 p.m. at a JPMorgan Chase branch in downtown Bakersfield, and no arrests had been made as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials initially responded to reports of a bomb threat before determining the suspect had barricaded himself inside the bank. Authorities said negotiations with the suspect were ongoing Tuesday afternoon. The FBI’s Sacramento field office said it sent resources to assist.
Police said the suspect was believed to have a bomb strapped to his body, though authorities did not provide details about the credibility of the threat or whether any explosive device had been confirmed. Negotiators and tactical units were deployed to the scene as officers worked to resolve the standoff peacefully.
Hours into the standoff, Bakersfield police Sgt. Eric Celedon said in a video posted to social media that the suspect agreed to let one of the hostages out.
“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.
Celadon said the others in the building are in “good health,” but it is still unclear how many people remain in the building. The identity of the suspect was also not revealed.
A large section of downtown Bakersfield was shut down as the situation unfolded. The city of Bakersfield announced that several municipal buildings were placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Video from local television stations showed more than a dozen police vehicles, a tactical response vehicle, and numerous emergency personnel gathered around the bank.
A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase said the company was cooperating with law enforcement and that its primary concern was the safety of employees, customers, and first responders.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’s San Francisco field office also said it was sending resources to Bakersfield.
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Bakersfield, a city of roughly 380,000 residents in Kern County, is located about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The hostage situation remained active Tuesday evening, with police continuing negotiations and urging the public to stay clear of the area.
