FBI Neutralizes Hostage-Taker in Bakersfield Chase Building; All 10 Hostages Rescued

The FBI and Bakersfield Police Department successfully ended a 16-hour hostage crisis on Wednesday morning, June 3, 2026, at the Chase Bank building on 17th Street in downtown Bakersfield. The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, was shot and killed by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team around 4:30 a.m.

All 10 hostages, employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, were rescued unharmed.

The incident began on Tuesday, June 2, at 12:59 p.m., when Bakersfield police received calls about a man with an explosive device entering the building. Searles-Harris barricaded himself on the second floor, taking hostages and claiming explosives were attached to some of them.

Police confirmed the presence of explosives through observation.

During negotiations, police secured the release of two hostages—one at 3:59 p.m. and another at 8:24 p.m.—in exchange for materials related to his previous court case, food, and water.

When negotiations stalled, the Bakersfield Police Department requested FBI assistance at 9:02 p.m. The FBI assumed operational control, deploying 150 personnel, including SWAT teams from Sacramento and Los Angeles, crisis negotiators, bomb technicians, and the elite Hostage Rescue Team from the East Coast.

Searles-Harris had a criminal history, including a 2014 charge for sex acts with a child under 14, making him a registered sex offender. He served in the U.S.

Army from 2006 to 2007 but was dishonorably discharged for going AWOL. Law enforcement is investigating a YouTube video allegedly made by the suspect, expressing frustration with how his case was handled.

Authorities executed a search warrant at Searles-Harris's home on Oildale Drive. Police said the Kern County Superintendent of Schools employees were not specifically targeted.

Multiple agencies assisted, including ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

The FBI confirmed the explosives were not a threat after testing. Victim services are being offered to the rescued hostages.