A disgraced veteran strapped bombs to ten bank hostages

FBI agents shot and killed 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searles-Harris after a 15-hour standoff inside a California bank.

Going to work should never end with a bomb tied to your chest. Ten people in a California bank lived through that nightmare.

WHAT HAPPENED

Police say 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searles-Harris walked into a Bakersfield bank on Tuesday. He had what looked like a bomb on his chest.

He tied up five of the ten people inside. He rigged them with devices. "It is a bad day to be at the bank," he said.

He talked with police about food, water, and his past court cases. He wanted FBI agents to get involved.

The standoff lasted 15 hours. Early Wednesday, FBI agents shot and killed him. All hostages got out safe.

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS

10 hostages held for up to 15 hours inside a Chase Bank.

• 5 hostages tied up with devices.
• 2 hostages let go early during talks.
• 1 suspect shot dead by FBI agents.
• 1 dishonorable discharge from the Army.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

How does a man with a long criminal past slip through the cracks? He was a registered sex offender who left the Army.

We must ask how our systems track people with this much trouble. Why did it take a bank crisis to get him help or attention?

THE OTHER SIDE

The suspect died in the bank, so we cannot hear his side. Police say he was very angry about his past court cases. But no amount of anger justifies putting ten lives in danger.

Based on the active threats and rigged devices, police had few options left to save the hostages.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

The hostages must now heal from a night of terror. Police are still checking the devices to see if they were real bombs. Local shops are opening back up.

WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW

Were the bombs rigged to the hostages real or fake?

• Why did the suspect think a bank robbery would help his court case?
• What kind of watch was he under after his release from prison?