LOS ANGELES, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Two hostages have been released as negotiations continue with a male kidnapper at a bank in Bakersfield, California, where a bomb threat prompted an ongoing standoff, U.S. media reported Tuesday.
Police are on the scene responding to the incident at a Chase Bank branch in the city, about 180 km north of Los Angeles.
Several buildings in downtown Bakersfield, including the city hall and the local police headquarters, have been locked down after the Bakersfield Police Department was alerted to the threat, local media reported.
The suspect, who apparently had a bomb strapped to his body, has barricaded himself inside the building with "several community members," said the police, not specifying how many people were abducted.
"At this time, everybody else still remains inside the building, and everybody else still remains in good health," Bakersfield Police Department Sergeant Eric Celedon told local TV. ■
