THE suspect behind the terrifying hostage standoff at an office building has been identified as a convicted 𝒔𝒆𝒙 offender and disgraced Army veteran.
Anthony Scott Searles-Harris was shot dead by authorities following nearly 15 hours of failed negotiations with authorities outside the facility in Bakersfield, California.
A Bakersfield police officer coordinates sniper positions with an FBI agent outside an office building in Bakersfield, California, on Wednesday morningCredit: Getty
Heavily armed FBI agents wheel a ballistic shield into position to protect them from possible shots fired from the building where the hostage situation unfolded on Tuesday afternoonCredit: AP
Police officers maintained a security perimeter overnight Wednesday near the office buildingCredit: Getty
Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, took 10 hostages and demanded paperwork related to a 12-year-old conviction for 𝒔𝒆𝒙 crimes with minorsCredit: California Department of Justice
Searles-Harris, 41, walked into the building, which houses a Chase bank on the ground floor, at around 1pm on Tuesday and made chilling threats claiming he had bombs strapped to his chest, cops said.
Sid Patel, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Sacramento field office, said Searles-Harris barricaded himself on the second floor of the building with 10 hostages.
“He had tied up five of the hostages on the second floor,” Patel said, adding that the floor housed the county’s superintendent of schools office.
Patel said Searles-Harris released one of the hostages at around 4pm and a second hours later at 8pm.
Jeremy Blakemore, the assistant chief of the Bakersfield Police Department, said officers on the scene saw explosives attached to the suspect’s person.
One of the hostages was communicating with authorities outside and conveying Searles-Harris’ movements.
“There were multiple IEDs that presented a concern for us that we had to evaluate and look into, and have our bomb techs look over afterwards,” Patel said.
The FBI agent said that bomb specialists were able to confirm that the devices were “not a concern.”
During the tense negotiations, Blakemore said officials were communicating with Searles-Harris about exchanges related to food and water.
Searles-Harris also mentioned wanting to see documents related to his 𝒔𝒆𝒙 offense court case.
“We were able to provide some of that in exchange for getting the release of the hostages,” Blakemore said.
Searles-Harris was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and oral copulation with a person under 14 in 2014, The Bakersfield Californian reported.
He was accused of partying with two teenagers at his house and giving them drugs and alcohol before being paid $200 by a friend so he could have oral 𝒔𝒆𝒙 with them, per local CBS affiliate KBAK.
A conviction for forcible oral copulation was overturned in 2017 after an appellate court found he did not force them to have 𝒔𝒆𝒙 with his friend.
He is a registered 𝒔𝒆𝒙 offender and was dishonorably discharged from the US Army in 2007 after going AWOL, Patel said.
The situation concluded at around 4:20am local time after FBI officials entered the second floor where Searles-Harris was barricading himself with eight hostages.
Family members of hostages wait a block away from the bank building on Tuesday nightCredit: AP
Ambulances stationed near the Chase bank branch as the standoff stretched to nearly 15 hoursCredit: Getty
“It had to do with the hostage that was in there that we knew had health concerns and there could be a potential loss of life for that hostage and just from the erratic behavior,” Patel said, referring to the FBI’s decision to enter.
Searles-Harris was killed in an officer-involved shooting, Bakersfield police said hours before the press conference.
The eight hostages inside the building were unharmed.
The terrifying ordeal began at around 1pm on Tuesday when police were called to reports of a bomb threat at a Chase bank building in Bakersfield, about two hours north of Los Angeles.
Officers said Searles-Harris entered the downtown building and barricaded himself inside with several people.
Dramatic scenes unfolded outside as dozens of police vehicles, a tactical response vehicle and emergency crews gathered near the bank.
Bakersfield Police Department Sgt. Eric Celedon said Searles-Harris was making bomb threats and “apparently had a bomb strapped to his body.”
During the standoff, crisis negotiators were speaking to Searles-Harris by phone throughout the day while specialist teams flooded the area.
“This is a very active scene,” Celedon warned.
“Every single resource is at this site’s disposal – SWAT team, bomb squad, K9 team, gang unit, negotiators, drone team – every single asset we have to bring this to the safest conclusion is out here right now.”
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security quickly joined the operation, with additional resources deployed from across California.
Police established a perimeter around the building and surrounding businesses as a precaution.
Several nearby buildings were evacuated or locked down, including Bakersfield City Hall and police headquarters.
A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase said the bank branch, located on the ground floor of the building, was empty and that the company was cooperating with authorities.
Mayor Karen Goh said officials were closely monitoring the crisis.
“The best way the public can help at this time is by avoiding the area and allowing law enforcement officers, negotiators, and other trained professionals the space and opportunity to safely carry out their duties,” she said.
