Authorities in the western U.S. state of California say a bank robber has taken at least four women hostage in a standoff with police.
Police say the man entered a branch of the Bank of America in the town of Exeter late Wednesday and demanded money. He then took hostages after bank employees alerted police to the attempted robbery.
It was not immediately clear if the robber was armed.
Police say a highly trained tactical unit has surrounded the bank and begun negotiations. They say the robber has demand a car for his escape.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.