Two hostages released, others remained trapped amid bomb threat at Bakersfield bank building

Police were negotiating into the night Tuesday with a man believed to be in possession of a bomb who was holding people hostage inside a building in downtown Bakersfield, authorities said.

Officers with the Bakersfield Police Department responded to a confirmed bomb threat at the “Chase Bank Building” at Chester Avenue and 17th Street on Tuesday afternoon, the department said in a statement on social media.

Crisis negotiators were able to negotiate the safe surrender of one hostage, Bakersfield Police Sgt. Eric Celedon said shortly before 5:30 p.m. Several hours later, the release of a second hostage was successfully negotiated.

The other people inside the building remain “in good health” as police and federal agents work together to resolve the situation, he said around 9 p.m.

“We have every single resource at our disposal out here to bring it to the safest resolution possible,” Celedon said, “from the SWAT team, bomb squad, crisis negotiators, our drone team, K9 unit as well as our federal partners.”

Police were first dispatched around 1 p.m. when officers received a bomb threat at the bank building and were notified that a man had barricaded himself inside with several community members, according to a department news release.

Read more: Los Angeles Times