Bomb-carrying man inside California bank killed by FBI; all hostages freed

The FBI shot and killed a bomb-carrying man Wednesday inside a bank in Bakersfield, California, ending a tense hostage situation that started the day before.

Bakersfield police said the federal agent fatally shot the man around 4:20 a.m. (local time).

All hostages holed up in the downtown Chase Bank walked out unharmed soon afterward.  

Officials in the Central Valley city said they will host a press conference at 10 a.m. to update the public on the standoff. 

Several streets around the Chase Bank are blocked off as authorities continue to clear the scene.

Police said the suspect, who hasn’t been identified, entered the bank with a bomb strapped to his body on Tuesday.

Officers were originally called to the bank around 1 p.m. for a man making bomb threats. Police said the man had a bomb on his person.

Negotiators secured the release of the first hostage around 5 p.m. Tuesday, and then another around 9 that night.

But authorities said “several community members” were trapped in the building with the suspect as the barricade stretched into a second day. 

Bakersfield authorities locked down City Hall, the police headquarters and several other government buildings due to the threat.

“The best way the public can help at this time is by avoiding the area and allowing law enforcement officers, negotiators, and other trained professionals the space and opportunity to safely carry out their duties,” Mayor Karen Goh said in a statement.