A man who barricaded himself inside a bank in the southern California city of Bakersfield on Tuesday has been shot and killed by the FBI, police said on Wednesday.
The suspect, who remains unidentified, was holding an unknown number of people hostage inside in a standoff that stretched over roughly 12 hours. Police say all the hostages have been released and none were harmed.
The suspect was killed in “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel,” the Bakersfield police department said in a statement.
The hostage situation concluded at approximately 4.20am, according to the statement. The investigation remains ongoing.
The unidentified man had a bomb strapped to his body, according to Bakersfield Now.
Police responding to a call of a bomb threat arrived at the Chase bank building in downtown Bakersfield on Tuesday at about 1pm, Sgt Eric Celedon of the Bakersfield police department told the ABC affiliate 23ABC.
“I’m not using the H word,” Celedon said, when asked whether the man had taken hostages. “However, there is an unidentified male subject in there with an unknown number of our community members and they’re refusing to come out at this point.”
Hours later, Celedon publicly acknowledged the situation was indeed a hostage crisis.
One of the hostages was released on Tuesday afternoon, and Bakersfield Now reported that a second person was let go on Tuesday evening. It was unclear how many people remained inside.
On Tuesday afternoon, Celedon said the remaining hostages were “in good health”.
Family members of those held hostage inside were gathered outside the building early on Wednesday morning waiting for their loved ones to be released, CBS Mornings reported.
Road closures were in effect on the streets surrounding the bank, with Bakersfield police advising residents to avoid the area if possible and allow extra travel time on Wednesday morning.
The officers were in contact with the man inside the bank by phone, KCRA 3 reports.
The city also issued evacuation orders in the area, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
“Please stay out of the downtown area,” the Bakersfield police wrote on social media. “Road closures are in effect and will remain in effect until further notice.”
In an Instagram story posted on Tuesday night, Sgt Celedon advised people to stay out of the area, adding that “all of the buildings in the surrounding area have been evacuated. There’s a very active scene.”
Dr Jasmeet Bains, a candidate for California’s district 22, canceled her election night watch party in downtown Bakersfield due to the hostage situation. In a statement, she wrote: “I am in active communication with local law enforcement. Members of the public should continue to avoid downtown Bakersfield at this time. My thoughts are with all of the families impacted by this concerning situation.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and to avoid creating a large gathering of people in close proximity to this incident, we will no longer hold an in-person event in downtown,” the statement added.
A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson, Peter Kelley, said the bank was working with law enforcement and its “focus is on the safety of everyone involved”. He provided no other details.
Several city buildings were placed on lockdown, including city hall north, city hall south, the development services building and the Bakersfield police headquarters.
About a dozen police cars were on scene along with one tactical vehicle and several emergency responders, according to media reports.
Bakersfield, a city of about 380,000 residents, is the county seat of largely rural Kern county and is about 100 miles (160km) north-east of Los Angeles.
