On June 2, 2026, a hostage crisis occurred in downtown Bakersfield, California, United States. The hostage crisis started as a confirmed bomb threat at on the second floor of a Chase Bank building occupied by a Kern County school administration office. The perpetrator, convicted sex offender Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, barricaded himself inside the building with a total of ten hostages. After 15 hours, all ten hostages were released safely, and Searles-Harris was fatally shot by FBI Hostage Rescue Team agents in a shootout.[1][2][3] His motive is unknown.
| 2026 Bakersfield hostage crisis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 35°22′26″N 119°01′09.29″W / 35.37389°N 119.0192472°W Bakersfield, California, US |
| Date | June 2–3, 2026 1:00pm – 4:20am (PDT) |
Attack type | Hostage standoff, police shooting |
| Deaths | 1 (the perpetrator) |
| Victims | 10 hostages |
| Perpetrator | Anthony Scott Searles-Harris |
| Motive | Under investigation |
Events
editShortly after 1:00 p.m. PDT on June 2, Searles-Harris arrived at 1515 17th Street claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest and barricaded himself with ten hostages on the second floor, where the offices of the Kern County school administration were located. Some of the hostages were tied up by the hostage taker, who is said to have made a bomb threat, prompting evacuations and a law enforcement response. The Bakersfield Police Department was supported by multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies.[4] More than 150 FBI personnel, including SWAT, crisis negotiators, Special Agent Bomb Technicians and the Hostage Rescue Team were deployed to the crisis.[2]
Authorities were able to establish contact with a diabetic hostage who had her phone with her.[5][6] Searles-Harris claimed that he had explosive devices attached to him and to some hostages.[5] Police negotiated the release of two hostages at 4 p.m. and around 8:30 p.m.[7] Federal agents from the Hostage Rescue Team entered the building after concerns regarding the hostage with diabetes health after her phone died, and after Searles-Harris was seen moving erratically by the agents, they fatally shot him.[2][1]
Perpetrator
editLaw enforcement identified the perpetrator as 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searles-Harris (June 21, 1984[8] – June 3, 2026), a convicted sex offender and longtime resident of Oildale, California, less than five miles away from Bakersfield.[9] Court documents confirmed that Searles-Harris had been living in Oildale since as early as June 2009, and was married once for two years.[8] Searles-Harris previously served in the United States Army from 2006 until 2007 before being dishonorably discharged for going absent without leave.[10]
Prior to his death, Searles-Harris had been released early from state prison in 2018 following an appeals court decision after a Kern County judge handed down a 12-year sentence on September 15, 2014, in connection of an October 2012 arrest in Oildale.[11] On October 15, 2012, Harris, alongside another man named Randy Dale Miller, were arrested after he provided alcohol and drugs to two 13 and 17-year-old girls and engaged in sex acts with them.[8] Redacted investigative reports filed in Kern County by deputies say that detectives began the investigation that began on July 29, 2011, when authorities informed that Harris was holding wild parties with them, and authorities later discovered expletive videos and photos of oral sex on their phones.[12] In August 2017, an appeals court reversed one of the convictions, finding that Searles-Harris did not assault the 13-year-old, while his other convictions were upheld before being released the following year.[13]
Investigation
editDuring the standoff, the Searles-Harris' residence in Oildale was searched.[14][15] A motive was not determined, but investigators said they were aware of a YouTube video being released by Searles-Harris in October 2025, showing himself in a video called Labeled a Monster. In the video, he accused law enforcement of planting evidence in his previous cases.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- 1 2 Rose, Andy; Hannah, Jack; Campbell, Josh; Burnside, Tina; Von Quednow, Cindy (June 3, 2026). "Suspect who took 10 hostages is dead after hourslong bomb threat at California building, authorities say". CNN. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Official FBI X account [@FBI] (June 4, 2026). "FBI's Hostage Rescue Team saved 10 hostages from a subject in Bakersfield, California" (Tweet). Retrieved June 4, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ "Second hostage freed as Chase Bank standoff continues in California - Live". The Independent. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ BakersfieldNow Staff (June 3, 2006). "FBI neutralizes man in bomb threat at Chase building in Bakersfield, 10 hostages rescued". Bakersfield Now. Sinclair. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Koch, Alexandra; Nitzberg, Alex (June 3, 2026). "Bakersfield, California hostage standoff ends after FBI kills armed sex offender". Fox News. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ Aguilar Prieto, Maria; Faheid, Dalla (June 4, 2026). "A cryptic message from a man at a California bank was the beginning of a 15-hour hostage situation". CNN. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Two hostages released amid bomb threat at Chase Bank in Bakersfield". KBAK. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "People v. Searles-Harris". Casemine. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Suspect who took 10 people hostage in California standoff has been shot and killed, police say". WLS-TV. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Hostages released, suspect dead after hours-long standoff at bank: Police". Rural Radio Network. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Man gets 12 years in prison for drinking, sex parties with teens". KBAK. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Oildale man sentenced to 12 years for sex acts with minors". Bakersfield. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Hostage taker identified as convicted sex offender who claimed frame-up". KGET-TV. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Possible hostage situation underway at Southern California bank - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. June 2, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Bomb threat at California Chase Bank location prompts evacuations". NBC News. June 2, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Sex offender with explosives killed by FBI after taking hostages in Bakersfield, officials say". union Bulletin. June 2, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.