As Bakersfield continues to recover from a 15-hour hostage standoff that brought downtown to a standstill this week, local businesses are stepping up to support those affected by the ordeal.
Law enforcement officials said 41-year-old Anthony Scott Searles-Harris held 10 employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools hostage inside the Chase building in downtown Bakersfield after claiming to have a bomb. The standoff began Tuesday and stretched into Wednesday, prompting evacuations and lockdowns of several nearby buildings and forcing authorities to establish a two-block security perimeter around the area.
The incident ended Wednesday when federal agents shot and killed Searles-Harris. None of the hostages were physically injured, but community members and business owners say the emotional impact remains…