Several people were left barricaded inside a Chase Bank building on Tuesday, June 2 in an apparent hostage situation. According to BNO News, the incident started at around 1pm local time in Bakersfield, California, after a bomb threat was called in.
According to the Bakersfield Police Department, an adult male had barricaded himself in with several members of the public. In a statement released by the authorities, they said that they had taken swift action.
"Officers responded to the scene and established a perimeter around the building and surrounding businesses to ensure public safety." They added that whilst several hostages had managed to escape, the numbers were not clear. Eight hostages in total were reported to have remained in the building.
The police then got to work. According to the outlet, police spared no expense in trying to find out more information about the situation. They deployed SWAT officers, bomb squad, crisis negotiators, drones, K9 units as well as federal partners to address the situation.
In a statement on Threads during the incident, they revealed they had established a negotiation line with the suspect. They had managed to "negotiate the release of a second hostage."
But, the situation ended in a death - that of the suspect, according to a post on social media from BNO News.
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In a statement from the Bakersfield Police Department following the end of the crisis situation, they also confirmed the death of the suspect. "The suspect involved in this incident was pronounced deceased at the scene."
They added that the hostage situation ended up concluding at 4:20am, where an "officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel." They made it explicitly clear that the police department themselves were "not involved in the use of force."
Luckily, none of the hostages were reported to be injured. They said that they "received medical evaluation and treatment at the scene."
Following the incident, the police have confirmed that road closures are still in place. They added that there will still be a large law enforcement presence in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
We are glad that no one else was injured in the incident.
