The man who held 10 hostages for 15 hours inside a California bank before being shot dead by FBI agents has been identified as Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, a 41-year-old registered sex offender with a violent past. The incident occurred at a Chase Bank building in Bakersfield, about 110 miles north of Los Angeles.
Searles-Harris served in the US Army from 2006 to 2007 but was dishonorably discharged after going absent without leave (AWOL). He was also a registered sex offender, having been charged with sex acts with a child under 14 in 2014, according to Sid Patel of the FBI's Sacramento field office.
The suspect entered the building around 1pm on Tuesday with explosives strapped to his body, taking hostages to the second floor which houses the Kern County school superintendent's administration. Half of the hostages were tied up, and some had explosive devices attached to them. The standoff ended early Wednesday morning when FBI agents fatally shot Searles-Harris.
Police were initially called to the scene on reports of a bomb threat. Crisis negotiation teams secured the safe release of two hostages on Tuesday night. The suspect's motive remains unclear, but during negotiations he spoke about materials relating to his court case and expressed frustration with 'certain elements' of his case, according to reports.
All 10 hostages were released unharmed and reunited with their families. Authorities have not confirmed whether the explosive devices were functional. The FBI and Bakersfield police continue to investigate the incident.
