A man is currently barricaded inside a bank in Downtown Bakersfield, California, wearing what appears to be an explosive device, while armed police are present at the scene.
The City of Bakersfield spokesperson confirmed an ongoing incident at a private property near various City buildings downtown. As a precaution, City Hall North, City Hall South, the Development Services Building, and Bakersfield Police Headquarters are on lockdown.
Police have established an exclusion zone between 18th and Truxtun Avenue and Chester to H Streets due to a bomb threat in the area. The man is reported to have taken at least one hostage, prompting negotiators to intervene.
Authorities are responding to a bank robbery in Bakersfield, with evacuations underway and streets closed in the city center. The Bakersfield Police Department has disclosed an active hostage situation at the Chase Bank on 17th Street and Chester, involving a male suspect making bomb threats and wearing an explosive device.
