Who is Anthony Scott Searles-Harris? A look at the suspect behind the downtown hostage crisis

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Authorities have identified Anthony Scott Searles-Harris as the suspect at the center of a tense downtown hostage crisis, confirming he is a convicted sex offender.

According to authorities, Searles-Harris served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2007 before receiving a dishonorable discharge for going AWOL.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said Searles-Harris had a history with law enforcement stemming from a conviction for child sex crimes.

“He was no stranger to law enforcement and has a criminal history of using weapons to commit violent offenses. In 2014, he was charged with sex acts with a child under 14,” Patel said.

According to Kern County Court Records, Searles-Harris was convicted of two child sex crimes stemming from a 2013 complaint. Following his release from prison, he was required to register as a sex offender.

Searles-Harris took hostages inside the second floor of a Chase Bank building and told law enforcement he had an explosive device strapped to both himself and a hostage. Authorities did not release a motive during a press conference.

Attorney Arturo Revelo, who represented Searles-Harris during his criminal trial, was brought to the scene to potentially speak with the suspect in an attempt to get him to cooperate. Revelo said he spoke with law enforcement on scene, who told him they had conducted a sweep of the suspect’s home just days before the standoff.

“They had actually gone to his house a few days before, or doing a two-night registration sweep to see if they were registering, and they found no explosive devices, no electronic indication that he was making that dead man switch that he claimed he had, so they had absolutely nothing except the ramblings of an obviously psychotic man,” Revelo said.

Despite that sweep, Patel said law enforcement did find something when they searched Searles-Harris’s home, though he did not specify what.

“We found some concerning items in there from the investigative piece, but again we’re continuing to evaluate those and look further into it,” Patel said.

We returned to the neighborhood where Searles-Harris lived Wednesday morning and attempted to speak with neighbors to get a sense of who he was. While no one was willing to speak on camera, some noted they rarely saw him, and when they did, he gave the impression he wanted to be left alone.

His mother was also encountered as she exited the home that police raided Tuesday evening. She declined to speak and directed me to scan a QR code affixed to her mailbox. The code leads to a YouTube video in which Searles-Harris claims he was framed and wrongly convicted of the child sex crimes.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

(Previous report posted at 11:13 a.m. PT)

Following the deadly shooting of the suspect involved in the bomb threat and hostage situation in downtown Bakersfield, law enforcement continues to share info on the incident and the suspect.

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE FROM BPD AND FBI BELOW:

The FBI named Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, as the suspect who made the bomb threat, took hostages, and was later killed by the FBI.

Megan’s Law

They described him as a white man who served in the Army from 2006 – 2007 but was dishonorably discharged due to going AWOL.

The FBI also said he was no stranger to law enforcement. In 2014, he was charged for having sex with a minor and was a registered sex offender.

Searles-Harris tied up five hostages in the incident on the second floor of the building. The FBI says those employees were with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.

All hostages were said to not be harmed and received medical attention at the scene.

Law enforcement will remain on scene as the investigation remains ongoing, so traffic closures remain in effect.

WATCH OUR COVERAGE OF THE INCIDENT FROM TUESDAY NIGHT:

Hostage Situation Still Ongoing in Downtown Bakersfield

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