Bakersfield police in California received a bomb threat at a downtown office building at 13:00 on 2/6. Authorities quickly evacuated surrounding buildings, while over 100 FBI personnel, two SWAT teams, hostage negotiators, and a bomb disposal unit were dispatched to the scene.

The suspect was identified as Anthony Scott Searles Harris, 41. Harris, who had a prior sex offense conviction and was discharged from the US Army for unauthorized absence from his unit, held 10 employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office hostage on the building's second floor. He claimed to have attached explosive devices to some of them.

The scene of the hostage situation in Bakersfield, California. Photo: AP

After hours of standoff, Harris agreed to release two hostages by evening. However, subsequent negotiation efforts were unsuccessful, prompting the FBI to storm the building. FBI agents shot and killed Harris at 4:20 on 3/6, ending the nearly 16-hour confrontation. All hostages were safely rescued.

"Throughout last night, their families did not know if they would ever see their loved ones again", Bakersfield Police official Jeremy Blakemore said during a subsequent press conference.

Harris's motive for taking hostages and threatening a bombing has not been fully determined. However, Blakemore stated that the suspect had made several demands related to his past legal case. "He was upset about how his previous case was handled, as well as the subsequent consequences, including the sentence and related issues", Blakemore added.

Court records in Kern County, California, indicate Harris sought a domestic violence restraining order and was involved in divorce proceedings starting in 2009, which mentioned a minor child. Years later, he reappeared in a custody dispute as an opposing party.