What happened in Bakersfield overnight: Tuesday, September 22, 2026

What Happened Overnight in Bakersfield & Kern County

A man with a knife at a hospital on Mount Vernon Avenue, a caller who stayed on the phone with sheriff's dispatchers while deputies searched an east Bakersfield park for people he said were armed, and an assault with a bat on White Lane were the calls that stood out overnight. Fire crews also handled two outside fires near Mount Vernon Avenue, and officers worked a string of disturbances from 2nd Street to Ming Avenue. Here is what came over the scanner.

The big one

Man with a knife at the hospital on Mount Vernon Avenue

Just before 11 p.m. a city-wide officer safety broadcast went out for a man armed with a knife at the hospital in the 1700 block of Mount Vernon Avenue. He was escorted off the property and was last seen heading toward East High School. The broadcast went out on both radio channels so officers in the area would have his description, and the call cleared once he was off the grounds.

Around the county

Caller stays on the line while deputies search an east Bakersfield park

Shortly before 10 p.m. a caller told sheriff's dispatchers that people looking for him had guns and were still in dark clothing. He stayed on the phone with dispatchers, giving updates as deputies responded to the park where he said he was, and units were told to stand by while the call was still open.

Assault with a bat on White Lane

At 1:45 a.m. two units were sent for an assault with a bat that had happened about 20 minutes earlier in the 2700 block of White Lane. Nobody answered when dispatchers called back, and a description of the person who was hit went out to the officers responding.

Woman screaming for help near the river bed

At 12:14 a.m. a caller reported a woman screaming for help in the 100 block of Hart Street, near the river bed. The caller rang back a minute later to say the screaming could still be heard in the background and asked officers to keep coming.

Two outside fires near Mount Vernon Avenue

Fire crews were sent to an outside fire along westbound Highway 58 just west of Mount Vernon Avenue at 12:31 a.m., and a second crew went out at 1:41 a.m. for an outside fire at Mount Vernon Avenue and Kentucky Street.

The log

• 10:15 p.m. Disturbance, Motel 6, Oak Street. A disturbance call that had been holding for some time was assigned to a unit at a room on the property.
• 10:16 p.m. Welfare check, 4600 block of Columbus Street. Deputies were sent to check on children who were with their mother, reported to be in a mental health crisis.
• 10:41 p.m. Disturbance, 5600 block of Auburn Street. Officers went to a Circle K for two people swinging at the air, with a 17-year-old with them.
• 11:06 p.m. Disturbance, 600 block of Sumner Street. A call that had been holding was given to an officer at an apartment.
• 11:24 p.m. Suspicious person, 2400 block of Ming Avenue. Officers were sent to a restaurant where a man was reported to be following a 17-year-old.
• 12:53 a.m. Alarm, 2900 block of F Street. An audible alarm activated at a dining room door at a restaurant.
• 12:56 a.m. Loitering, 100 block of Montclair Street. A call about several people in the alley had been holding about an hour and a half before a unit was advised.
• 2:14 a.m. Disturbance, 1400 block of 2nd Street. Officers were sent for a man and a woman in a physical fight, moving in and out of an apartment.
• 4:06 a.m. Pedestrian check, Highway 43 northwest of Panama Lane. A caller reported a man in a wheelchair flagging traffic; units checked and found no one in the roadway.
• 4:58 a.m. Medical aid, 1900 block of East Brundage Lane. An engine was sent to the Navigation Center for a patient in the men's restroom.

Night notes

The weapons and officer safety calls came in the evening, and the night's more serious calls were the ones where the caller could not be reached again or stayed on the line while units searched. The two outside fires near Mount Vernon Avenue were the only fire activity of any size, and the rest of the overnight traffic was disturbances, welfare checks and alarm calls that cleared with a single unit. The county calls were quiet, and the loudest stretch of the night came between 10 and 11:30 p.m.