Suspect in custody after ‘threat,’ evacuation of California State Capitol

Updated 5:17 p.m.

A man connected to gunfire in Roseville and threats that prompted evacuation of the California state Capitol Thursday morning is in custody, according to police. 

Jackson Pinney, 30, of Hayward is suspected of firing shots from a vehicle in Citrus Heights and Roseville shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday. Two rounds were found lodged in the exterior of the Kaiser hospital in Roseville.

California Highway Patrol said Pinney also “made credible threats against the California State Capitol,” which prompted the building’s evacuation for roughly two hours Thursday morning and canceled or delayed legislative business. 

Roseville police located and arrested Pinney near Douglas Blvd. and Auburn-Folsom Road in Granite Bay shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday. He will be booked into jail on suspicion of attempted homicide, assault with a firearm, shooting from a moving vehicle, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and possession of a firearm by a felon.

A memo alerted legislative staff to the threat shortly after 9 a.m. and the Capitol building was evacuated. The Senate resumed its floor session in the Legislature’s swing space, which is located on O Street. The Assembly did not continue with votes. 

By 11 a.m., visitors were being allowed back into the Capitol and the swing space. Some staff were allowed to work from home.

Senate pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon in a joint statement apologized for “interruptions to the members of the public who planned to come to the Capitol today to make their voices heard. In this situation, we must put everyone’s safety and security first. We encourage everyone to stay alert and stay safe.”

A workers’ rally scheduled for Thursday morning at the Capitol instead took place outside the swing space, spilling into the street. 

“We are grateful to the CHP, Sergeants-at-Arms, Secretary of the Senate, the Assembly Chief Administrative officer, and our law enforcement partners for responding quickly to keep members of the Legislature and our staff safe,” the statement said. 

“It was an interesting morning for sure,” said Asm. Josh Hoover, a Republican representing the Folsom area. The suspect was sighted in his district, which includes Citrus Heights.

“I am certainly very concerned about the CHP tracking them down, so I want to make sure that person is found,” he said. “We were told it’s an ongoing situation and they’re working hard to find that person.”

La Palma city council member Janet Keo Conklin was visiting from Orange County for a summit with the California League of Cities. She planned to attend the Senate’s floor session with colleagues when she learned the Capitol was being evacuated.

“They said there was no session here, they were moving it” to the swing space, Conklin said. That was when she learned about the threats.

Some legislative hearings continued Thursday afternoon, while others were canceled.