SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A man suspected of making “credible threats” against California's Capitol after shooting a gun from his vehicle and lodging bullets in the wall of a hospital and commercial building in the suburbs of Sacramento was arrested Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The Roseville Police Department said the man will be booked into county jail on charges of attempted homicide, assault with a firearm, shooting from a moving vehicle and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. The police department and the California Highway Patrol, which was investigating the threats to the Capitol, named 30-year-old Jackson Pinney, 30, as the suspect. It wasn't clear if Pinney had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
No one was injured in the shootings, authorities said.
CHP did not immediately comment on the arrest and have not detailed the substance of the threat against the Capitol.
The threat forced California’s Assembly to cancel its Thursday session. Senators evacuated to work in a new location. The Capitol remained open much of the morning, allowing people to gather on the outdoor grounds and take tours inside the historic building, but for part of the afternoon a sign on the door said the building was temporarily closed to the public.
The two prior shootings were in Roseville and Citrus Heights, two cities northeast of Sacramento.
Police in Roseville and Citrus Heights said they responded late Wednesday to reports of someone shooting a gun from a vehicle while driving through the cities. Bullets struck two buildings in Citrus Heights and a hospital in Roseville, police said.
The two departments and the CHP said they believed both shootings and the threat to the Capitol involved Pinney.
State senators and their staff members were notified about the threat involving the building in an email Thursday morning from Senate Secretary Erika Contreras.
“The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has notified the Senate of a threat they consider to be credible involving the Capitol,” Contreras wrote. “The CHP and security partners are present in higher numbers in the Capitol area, and are alert of the situation.”
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins said in a joint statement that they relocated the Senate and ended the Assembly session early “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We apologize for the adjustments and interruptions to the members of the public who planned to come to the Capitol today to make their voices heard,” they said. “In this situation, we must put everyone’s safety and security first. We encourage everyone to stay alert and stay safe.”
Staffers were told to “remain situationally aware and report any suspicious activity,” said a memo from Assembly Chief Administrative Officer Lia Lopez.
The Capitol building was not placed on official lockdown, said John Casey, a spokesperson for Rendon.
__
Photographer Rich Pedroncelli and Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed.
