Hostages released as California bomb threat standoff prompts evacuations

BAKERSFIELD: A man barricaded himself inside a building in downtown Bakersfield, California, on Tuesday after police received reports of a bomb threat, leading to a hostage situation and a large security response, according to authorities cited by NBC News.

Police spokesperson Sally Selby said several people were inside the building when officers arrived. Crisis negotiators began working to bring the incident to a peaceful end. Selby later said a second hostage was released shortly after 9:00pm local time, following the release of another hostage earlier in the evening. She added that no injuries had been reported and that the Bakersfield Police Department's Crisis Negotiation Team remained in contact with the suspect.

Earlier in the standoff, Police Sergeant Eric Celedon said local and FBI negotiators had secured the release of at least one hostage and that the remaining hostages appeared to be in good health.

By about 11:00pm local time, a police spokesperson said the FBI had taken over SWAT operations.

Evacuations and road closures

Police said officers responded at around 1:00pm to reports of a bomb threat at a building in the 1500 block of 17th Street. After a security perimeter was established, some people inside were able to leave the building. Authorities also evacuated the surrounding area and shut nearby roads.

Officials had initially identified the site as the Chase Bank building, but a spokesperson for Chase said the bank branch was empty and was not involved in the incident. The building contains other offices as well.