Bakersfield police are asking the public to help identify a man caught on surveillance video threatening a rider with a machete aboard a Golden Empire Transit District bus. The confrontation happened on September 29, and investigators only went public with the request for help this week.
According to The Bakersfield Californian, a BPD news release said the man was videotaped riding the bus and threatening an unidentified victim with the weapon. The Bakersfield Police Department has not released the victim's identity or said whether the person was injured, and the route or exact location of the bus has not been disclosed.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed the man brandishing the machete while riding the bus, per the Bakersfield Police Department. The outlet reported that police are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward, though more than a month passed between the September encounter and this week's public appeal.
What the Suspect Looks Like
Descriptions of the suspect vary slightly depending on the source. BakersfieldNow reported police describe him as a man in his 30s with a slim build, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a shaved head. The Bakersfield Californian's account of the same release describes him as white or Hispanic, with the same height, build and shaved head.
At the time of the incident, the man was wearing a blue baseball hat, a white T-shirt and blue pants, and he was carrying a backpack, the station's report states. Police have not said whether he has been identified, located or arrested since the video surfaced.
Conflicting Tip Line Information
Reports on how to reach investigators list the same contact. BakersfieldNow's coverage lists Detective E. Hardin at the Bakersfield Police Department, reachable at (661) 326-3919, as the point of contact for tips. The Bakersfield Californian also identifies Detective E. Hardin at 661-326-3919. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Bakersfield Police Department.
A Prior Case Involving a GET Bus
This is not the first violent incident reported aboard a Bakersfield city bus. In 2023, police arrested 39-year-old Mariano Guillen Hernandez on suspicion of severely beating a GET bus driver near Panama Lane and Highway 99, according to the same Bakersfield Californian report. Hernandez was booked on suspicion of mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury, and his bail was set at $150,000. There is no indication that case is connected to the September machete incident.
For now, the identity of the man seen on the GET bus video remains unknown, and police are relying on the public to help close that gap.
