A California man who held hostages inside a bank for 16 hours has been identified as a disgraced US Army veteran and convicted sex offender. Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, stormed the Chase Bank on 17th Street and Chester in Bakersfield at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, claiming he had a bomb strapped to his chest and to a hostage.
He then barricaded himself on the second floor with 10 hostages, all employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, which had offices there, according to the Los Angeles Times. Other employees managed to flee while law enforcement evacuated the surrounding area.
Local and federal authorities negotiated with him for nearly 16 hours, securing the release of two hostages, before an elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team moved in and fatally shot the suspect at around 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials then found five hostages tied up and multiple improvised explosive devices, some attached to hostages, said Sid Patel, special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento Office, at a news conference.
Patel said agents took a 'holistic approach' considering the totality of circumstances, including Searles-Harris's erratic behavior, in deciding to shoot him. However, Jeremy Blakemore, assistant chief of the Bakersfield Police Department, admitted law enforcement was never completely certain about the risks. 'The reality is, quite frankly, there was not a full confirmation in either direction' about whether the bombs were active, he said.
Patel added that Searles-Harris had a history with law enforcement and 'has a history of using weapons to commit violent offenses,' though he would not elaborate. The suspect had been dishonorably discharged from the US Army in 2007 after going AWOL.
Fortunately, bomb technicians confirmed the explosive devices were 'not a concern' after the raid. It is believed Searles-Harris targeted the bank because it is a federal institution requiring an FBI response, as he sought to prove he was wrongfully convicted of sex acts with a child under 14.
The charges stemmed from a party Searles-Harris hosted in summer 2011, where he asked two minors to stay behind for a 'job,' according to court records obtained by Bakersfield.com. He gave them drugs and alcohol, then was paid $200 by a 26-year-old man to force a 13-year-old girl to have sex with him, as previously reported by Bakersfield Now. One girl said he threatened to kill her if she told anyone; another claimed he exposed himself.
Searles-Harris was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but in 2017 an appeals court reversed one conviction, finding he had not threatened the 13-year-old, according to KGET. He was released in 2018 and required to register as a sex offender. Court records also show divorce proceedings starting in 2009 and a later guardianship fight in which he was an objector.
In October, Searles-Harris posted a nearly two-hour YouTube video claiming authorities planted evidence, relied on biased witnesses, and ignored exculpatory evidence in his child sex abuse case. He also alleged media complicity in a cover-up.
Authorities had conducted a sweep of his home days before the standoff. 'They had actually gone to his house a few days before... and they found no explosive devices, no electronic indication that he was making that dead-man switch,' said Joaquin Arturo Revelo, a public defender who represented Searles-Harris at trial. 'So they had absolutely nothing except the ramblings of an obviously psychotic man.'
Revelo was brought into negotiations Tuesday night when Searles-Harris demanded court documents, but was never allowed to speak with him. He made two videos saying he was there with the documents. Revelo claimed Searles-Harris would release hostages for the documents, but that did not happen while he was there.
Blakemore said he was aware of Searles-Harris's videos criticizing the sheriff's office and claiming innocence, but the department has no plans to investigate those claims. However, a search of his home Tuesday night revealed 'some concerning items,' which are being evaluated.
Kern County Superintendent John Mendiburu expressed relief that the incident resolved without physical injury to staff. 'What unfolded was undoubtedly a terribly frightening and unsettling experience, and the composure our employees demonstrated throughout the 16-hour ordeal was extraordinary,' he said in a statement, thanking law enforcement. A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said the company is grateful to law enforcement and focused on supporting employees, with the branch remaining closed until further notice.
