A man remained barricaded inside a California bank building with an unknown number of hostages early Wednesday amid an ongoing standoff that has stretched for roughly 15 hours and prompted a massive law enforcement response including the FBI and crisis negotiators.
Police in Bakersfield, California, say the unidentified man made bomb threats Tuesday afternoon before barricading himself inside with “several community members” still inside.
At least two hostages have been released during the ongoing situation, and officials have reported no injuries as crisis negotiators work to resolve the situation peacefully, police spokesperson Sally Selby said in a statement.
Selby added that the members of the Bakersfield Police Department’s Crisis Negotiation Team were communicating with the barricaded man. The remaining hostages were “in good health,” Police Sgt. Eric Celedon previously said.
At around 11 p.m. local time, a spokesperson for the Bakersfield Police Department said the FBI had assumed command of SWAT operations. The FBI’s local field office said that “the situation continues to be active, and we do not have additional information to provide at this time.”
Police identified the location as the “Chase Bank building,” but a Chase spokesperson said Tuesday night that the branch there was empty and not involved in the standoff. The building houses unrelated offices, as well as a Chase bank branch, which has prominent branding at the location.
Meghan Durant, a spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the branch is on the ground floor and that they are working with authorities.
The area around the building has been evacuated and roads have been closed until further notice. In an Instagram video, Celedon urged people to stay away.
“There’s a very active scene,” Celedon said. “If you’re in the area, please leave.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ San Francisco field office said resources were being sent to Bakersfield.
Mayor Karen Goh said she was monitoring the situation and asked the community to keep those involved in their prayers.
“I appreciate the collaboration and coordinated efforts of our law enforcement partners and other responding agencies,” she said.
Bakersfield, a city of 422,000, is about 113 miles north of Los Angeles on the southern edge of California’s San Joaquin Valley, an agricultural hub.
