The Kern Overnight · scanner-to-newsletter
What Happened in Bakersfield Last Night
We listen to the county’s police, fire, and EMS radio all night so you don’t have to. Every morning: what happened overnight, what’s preliminary, and where. Updated October 11, 2026.
The night at a glance
Counts are the calls our overnight log captured (7 PM – 7 AM: the countywide radio feed, plus app-based dispatch reports for the hours the feed does not carry). It is not a complete record of every call.
Published reports
Sunday
October 11, 2026
What Happened Overnight in Bakersfield & Kern County
A store robbery on Union Avenue sent officers looking for a group of eight to ten people in the small hours, one of two vehicles running north and the other south after a loss described as food taken at knifepoint. Fire crews handled a two-to-three-acre brush fire west of the oil fields near Fellows before dawn, a semi truck burned on westbound Highway 58, and a truck caught fire just off the northbound Interstate 5 exit at Grapevine Road, closing the ramps. Officers went to the area of Lowe's on Columbus Street for shots heard with no one hurt, to East California Avenue at Baker Street in east Bakersfield for a man with a gun running at a caller, and to a home near MLK Park. The rest of the night was crashes, welfare checks, fights and medical aids from Oildale to North Edwards.
The big one
Robbery at a Union Avenue store, suspects gone in two cars
Officers worked a robbery in which the weapon was a pocket knife. The suspects were described as a group of eight to ten people, and what was taken was food from the store. One vehicle, a newer red Hyundai, fled north on Union Avenue, and a second, an older white Hyundai, went south on Union Avenue. No arrests were reported.
Around the county
Brush fire off Mid Oil, west of Fellows
Crews were sent to a smoke report off Mid Oil and found roughly two to three acres burning in brush and grass west of the oil field. The fire, run under the name Kirby, was reported to have roots running on three sides, and several battalions, water tenders and a helicopter were assigned.
Semi truck fire and crash on westbound Highway 58
A semi truck burned in a crash on the westbound side of Highway 58 during the evening hours, with crews sent for the fire and the wreckage.
Shots heard near Lowe's on Columbus Street
Officers were sent to the area of Lowe's on Columbus Street after a report of shots heard. No one was reported hurt, and the call was being checked against a separate report of a suspicious person in the same parking lot.
Man with a gun reported at East California Avenue and Baker Street
A caller reported a brandishing that had just happened at East California Avenue and Baker Street, in east Bakersfield, near MLK Park. The caller said a man in a green shirt had a firearm and was running toward the caller, who was in a car.
The log
- 7:09 p.m. — A semi truck rolled in the center divide on Highway 58 at Jameson Road. One patient was out of the vehicle and alert, and the left lanes were partly blocked while crews worked the scene.
- 7:33 p.m. — An engine was sent to the 100 block of East Hillary Avenue for a person in cardiac arrest.
- 8:19 p.m. — Officers were sent to the 6600 block of Tallman Avenue in north Bakersfield for a fight between two people who had been arguing before it turned physical.
- 8:34 p.m. — A truck caught fire on Grapevine Road just off the northbound Interstate 5 exit. The occupants were out before crews arrived, a tire was reported to have failed from heat from the brakes, and the northbound on and off ramps were closed.
- 9:01 p.m. — Officers were sent to the 100 block of Price Street, in southeast Bakersfield, near South Union Avenue, for an assault of an unknown type.
- 9:01 p.m. — A person was reported to be in a fight while carrying a knife.
- 9:15 p.m. — An engine and truck were sent to the 5900 block of East Brundage Lane in east Bakersfield for an overdose, with a sheriff's unit already on scene.
- 9:47 p.m. — A welfare check was run at a residence for a possible hostage situation.
- 10:20 p.m. — A pedestrian was reported trying to cross northbound Interstate 5 north of Laval Road, moving from the right shoulder toward the center divider in dark clothing. Officers headed that way to find the person.
- 10:21 p.m. — Officers were sent to Wilson Park on Wilson Road for a check on a person reported to be in crisis.
- 10:25 p.m. — An ongoing assault left a man injured near Citation Way.
- 10:39 p.m. — A single-vehicle crash was reported on Highway 99 near Rosedale.
- 2:12 a.m. — Deputies were sent to the 800 block of Sanford Street near McKinley on a second-hand report of someone making suicidal statements and threatening to jump into the canal.
- 2:15 a.m. — A caller reported that an ex-boyfriend struck her with a stick with a red shaft and a black handle and threatened to stab her. The man was still at the residence when officers were sent, in east Bakersfield.
- 2:40 a.m. — A possible DUI driver was reported at the 2300 block of Castro Lane, in south Bakersfield.
- 2:43 a.m. — Two cars collided. No injuries were reported.
- 3:57 a.m. — Deputies were sent to the 400 block of Lisa Ann Drive for a large party with several juveniles. Callers reported a verbal argument and a person waving a black object in the air that the caller believed was a firearm.
- 4:00 a.m. — A vegetation fire assignment went out in Kern County before dawn.
- 4:12 a.m. — A resident in North Edwards came home to find the front door unlocked and asked deputies to clear the house.
- 5:40 a.m. — Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire in Kern County in the pre-dawn hours.
- 6:48 a.m. — A domestic dispute over entry to a residence.
Night notes
Fire crews carried a share of the night, with a brush fire west of the Fellows oil field, a semi truck burning on westbound Highway 58, and a truck fire that closed the northbound Interstate 5 ramps at Grapevine Road. A large party on Pioneer Drive brought officers out shortly after midnight with a false fire alarm at the same address and no fight found. Two of the sharper calls of the night were a robbery on Union Avenue that ended with the suspects gone in two cars, and a man reported with a gun at East California Avenue and Baker Street near MLK Park. Details remain preliminary until they are confirmed by an official source.
Saturday
October 10, 2026
What Happened Overnight in Bakersfield & Kern County
A car wreck on northbound Interstate 5 south of Taft Highway left one vehicle burning and as many as four cars scattered across the lanes, and a separate multi-vehicle crash elsewhere in the county pinned two people inside one car, one of them a critical patient. Officers put out an officer safety broadcast for a man reported with a rifle near Highway 99 at Ming Avenue, and a caller on north Chester Avenue reported a shot fired behind a business with no one hurt. Police and medics also raced to an apartment for a young child reported not breathing. Fire crews spent the night on grass and vehicle fires from the valley floor to the eastern county, and the rest of the air was alarms, crashes, welfare checks and medical aids.
The big one
Crash and fire on northbound Interstate 5 near Taft Highway
Callers started reporting a crash on northbound Interstate 5 about two miles south of Taft Highway just after 2:20 a.m., with one caller dialing in from the southbound side and another from the northbound side. The first crew on scene found a single vehicle fully involved and a second vehicle off the shoulder, and early reports put as many as four vehicles in the wreckage with one car left in the center divider. A second ambulance was sent in from Lamont, and firefighters knocked the fire down while units kept working the roadway.
Around the county
Two people pinned in a multi-vehicle crash
Just after 7 p.m., responders reported a multi-vehicle crash in which two patients, one critical and one moderate, were pinned inside a single car. The people in the other vehicles were gone by the time units arrived. A second ambulance was kept coming and crews called for one more engine to cut the two patients out of the wreckage.
Officer safety broadcast for a man with a rifle near Highway 99 at Ming Avenue
Shortly before midnight, officers broadcast a warning after CHP passed along a report of a man with a silver rifle. The report was tied to a white Honda SUV and came from an incident about five minutes old, and the man was described as Hispanic, in his twenties with short hair.
Child reported not breathing at an apartment
Police and medics were sent to an apartment just before 9 p.m. for a young child reported not breathing after what was described as a possible bathtub accident. The call went out at the highest priority with an engine and an ambulance responding together.
Shot fired behind a north Chester Avenue business
A caller reported being the victim of an assault with a firearm behind a business on north Chester Avenue. Dispatchers were told a man had a handgun and fired it, with no one hurt, and that the people who called had left the area before officers arrived. The suspect was described as a thin Hispanic man in a gray shirt.
The log
- 7:51 p.m. — Fight reported involving juveniles possibly armed with knives near Jefferson Park.
- 9:02 p.m. — Unresponsive driver in semi truck on southbound Highway 99.
- 10:00 p.m.: A woman told police she was hit with a cane near Niles Street and Alta Vista Drive while retrieving her purse and credit cards; she was not badly hurt and waited to meet an officer.
- 10:06 p.m.: Stolen black Toyota Corolla reported moving through the area of 35th Street and S H Street on the east side.
- 10:06 p.m. — Weapons. Vehicle stop with suspected weapons, two detained.
- 10:21 p.m.: Callers reported juveniles drinking and smoking in the 1400 block of Jefferson Street, and another caller said three shots had been fired nearby.
- 10:33 p.m. — Assault. Reported assault with baseball bat near Godbey Dr and Camino Real.
- 10:40 p.m. — Fire. Report of possible brush fire near Highway 58.
- 10:57 p.m. — Search finds no injured person near Tucker Road.
- 11:05 p.m. — Fire. Commercial fire alarm at farm business.
- 11:13 p.m. — Person in cardiac arrest receiving CPR near Bakersfield.
- 12:09 a.m.: Domestic disturbance reported on the 4300 block of Pebble Creek Drive in northwest Bakersfield.
- 12:34 a.m.: An open 911 line brought officers to the 400 block of Buck Owens Boulevard, where a man could be heard asking for an ambulance.
- 12:47 a.m.: Small vehicle fire reported on Highway 58, out a short time later.
- 1:06 a.m. — Traffic collision. Driver flees crash on Hwy 14; black BMW stopped at 100+.
- 1:30 a.m.: Officers sent to the 2900 block of Virginia Avenue in east Bakersfield for a man banging on an apartment door and refusing to leave.
- 1:35 a.m.: A driver reported being followed on north Chester Avenue from Auburn Street, with a second vehicle running red lights behind them.
- 2:03 a.m. — Fight. Multiple people injured in fight on High Street.
- 3:23 a.m. — Vehicle. Disabled vehicle facing wrong way on highway ramp.
- 3:24 a.m.: Four people in a vehicle reported taking pomegranates from a property off Florida Highway south of the packing house.
- 3:33 a.m. — Overdose. Person unconscious after reported overdose.
- 3:44 a.m.: Debris in the roadway on Frazier Mountain Park Road east of Cuddy Canyon, with Caltrans asked to check a barrier that had shifted.
- 3:53 a.m.: Residential fire alarm on the 6200 block of Calabria Drive in north Bakersfield.
- 3:56 a.m.: Vehicle fire on Whistler Road near Pozo Creek, west of South Garzoli Avenue.
- 4:21 a.m. — Traffic collision. Disabled vehicle on shoulder after possible collision.
- 4:43 a.m.: Deputies sent to the 8100 block of Fuller Drive near Weedpatch Highway after a caller said five people were trying to force their way into her home and she was armed.
- 5:11 a.m.: Fire reported at the top of the Ridgecrest landfill, about 50 feet tall in piles of material.
- 5:29 a.m.: About half an acre of grass burning on the westbound Highway 58 off-ramp at Weedpatch Highway.
- 5:50 a.m.: A solo vehicle crashed and caught fire just north of the Highway 43 and Highway 46 junction.
- 5:52 a.m.: Commercial fire alarm at a restaurant on the 10800 block of Rosedale Highway in northwest Bakersfield, cancelled without a fire.
- 6:26 a.m. — Car rolls over into field on Fairbank Lane.
- 6:54 a.m. — Disturbance at residence on Cortez Court.
- 6:58 a.m. — Hazardous condition at Village Apartments.
Night notes
Fire crews carried most of the overnight hours, with small grass and vehicle fires reported from the Weedpatch interchange and the Ridgecrest landfill to the Highway 43 and 46 junction and a road near Pozo Creek. The two most serious calls of the night were both crashes on highways outside the city, one on northbound Interstate 5 and one that left two people pinned inside a single car. Deputies and officers also spent the small hours on welfare checks, stolen cars and calls that ended without an arrest. Details remain preliminary until they are confirmed by an official source.
Recent nights
- Oct. 11, 2026 — Robbery at a Union Avenue store, suspects gone in two cars; Brush fire off Mid Oil, west of Fellows
- Oct. 10, 2026 — Crash and fire on northbound Interstate 5 near Taft Highway; Two people pinned in a multi-vehicle crash
- Oct. 9, 2026 — Two shot on Pembroke Avenue in north Bakersfield; Knife attack on Lincoln Street leaves injuries in question
- Oct. 8, 2026 — Second-alarm fire at the Silver Saddle Ranch & Club in California City; Semi fire shuts down lanes on Interstate 5 near Copus Road
- Oct. 7, 2026 — Pedestrian struck in multi-vehicle crash on southbound Highway 99; Vehicle rolls onto its roof on Highway 14
- Oct. 6, 2026 — Breckenridge Road burglary ends with a resident holding a suspect at gunpoint; Roughly 50 vehicles reported on Westside Parkway
- Oct. 5, 2026 — Pursuit on Wible Road ends in a foot chase near Cottonwood; Smoke in a Kern Street warehouse
- Oct. 4, 2026 — A gunfire report at the fair came up empty; Assault leaves a victim unconscious
- Oct. 3, 2026 — Chase ends in a crash and a foot search in south Bakersfield; Second chase ends with three in custody
- Oct. 2, 2026 — Multi-structure fire near Pond Road and Minner Avenue; Eight rounds reported in the 1700 block of Niles Street
- Oct. 1, 2026 — Shots fired, one person reported bleeding; Stabbing reported on Chester Avenue
- Sept. 29, 2026 — Structure fire spreads to grass near the county line; Grass fire the size of a house near a church off Auburn Street
- Sept. 28, 2026 — House fire on Goodman Street knocked down before dawn; Shooting on King Street leaves a victim injured
- Sept. 27, 2026 — Shooting southeast of Bakersfield leaves one wounded; Smoke inside a senior living building
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Questions people ask
What happened in Bakersfield last night?
On the night ending October 11, 2026, the biggest call was: Robbery at a Union Avenue store, suspects gone in two cars. The full overnight log on this page lists the other police, fire and EMS calls, with times and general locations.
Was there a shooting in Bakersfield last night?
Our overnight scanner log for October 11, 2026 includes 1 shooting or shots-fired call. Officers were sent to the area of Lowe's on Columbus Street after a report of shots heard. No one was reported hurt, and the call was being checked against a separate report of a suspicious person in the same parking… These are preliminary dispatch reports, not confirmed by police.
Where can I see Bakersfield police activity from today or last night?
This page lists the police, sheriff, fire and EMS calls logged across Kern County between 7 PM and 7 AM, published every morning. Each night also has its own permanent page in the archive.
Is there a Bakersfield police scanner?
Yes. The Kern Overnight summarizes overnight police, fire, and EMS dispatch activity across Bakersfield and Kern County every morning. For live audio, the Kern County feed is available on streaming scanner services like Broadcastify.
How accurate is this?
Everything here is preliminary dispatch information taken from radio traffic. Details are unconfirmed until an official source reports them, and locations are generalized for privacy.
How it works
What we never publish
No names. No license plates. No callback numbers. No patient details. No exact addresses — locations are generalized to block or cross-street level. Nothing from ambulance-to-hospital traffic. Everything is reported as preliminary dispatch information.
Compiled from preliminary dispatch traffic each morning; details are unconfirmed until an official source reports them, and locations are generalized for privacy.
Audio provided by Broadcastify. Feed archives are used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States license.