BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – About 10 weeks after a man walked into the Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield and took nearly a dozen people hostage saying he had a bomb strapped to his chest, officials have totaled how much the incident cost the city’s police department.
The bomb threat and hostage situation that unfolded over the course of 15 hours that left the suspect dead cost the Bakersfield Police Department about $74,000, BPD spokesperson Sally Selby told 17 News on Friday.
The $74,000 spent during the standoff was for Bakersfield police officers and law enforcement overtime costs, Selby said.
Selby said the money the department funneled into gear and materials during the stand-off was minimal, because nothing was purchased specifically for the operation and was already acquired by the department.
In June, the Bakersfield Police Department told 17 News that neither the City of Bakersfield nor BPD had to reimburse the Sacramento FBI for coming down to Bakersfield and assisting with the bomb threat.
Selby said the help was considered “mutual aid” and the department was not charged for it.
The stand-off started on June 2 – Election Day for California’s 2026 primary election – when 41-year-old Anthony Searles-Harris walked into the Chase Bank building and took 10 people hostage on the building’s second floor, which belongs to the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.
The hours-long stand-off ended with all 10 hostages – who were all employees of KCSOS – being released without physical injuries and Searles-Harris was fatally shot by the FBI.
Searles-Harris was an ex-convict and a registered sex offender who claimed he was framed for his crimes and wrongfully convicted.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.