Update: California Capitol shut down; authorities arrest suspect tied to Roseville hospital shooting

Police from across the Sacramento region are searching for a Bay Area man who allegedly carried out shootings in Roseville and Citrus Heights before making a “credible threat” to shoot at the California state Capitol, prompting a shutdown of the building Thursday morning.

Multiple law enforcement agencies searched for a Hayward man who was involved in the two non-injury shootings Wednesday night and threatened violence at the Capitol in downtown Sacramento.

Authorities identified Jackson Pinney, 30, of Hayward as the suspect in the two incidents that ultimately prompted the Legislature to move or cancel several hearings and events.

Just before 4 p.m., Pinney was located along Douglas Boulevard and Folsom-Auburn Road in the Granite Bay area and arrested, according to Roseville police.

The California Highway Patrol, which is tasked with security at state buildings, said the Capitol remained closed to the public. Legislative officials, meanwhile, indicated that normal operations at the 148-year-old building were with “increased security.”

Staffers who normally work in the Capitol and adjacent legislative office buildings were given the option to work from home for the remainder of the day.

Officials identified two vehicles linked to Pinney: a 2002 gold Ford F-150 single cab pickup with a black soft tonneau cover and a 1996 white Acura Integra.

An evacuation of the Capitol took place quietly and swiftly around 9 a.m. Thursday as state senators and staffers were ushered to an office building on O Street to call their chamber into session. They convened from a committee hearing room at 9:45 before adjourning several minutes later.

By 10:30 a.m., movement around the Capitol, including a school group touring the grounds, resumed as normal.

A memo to Assembly staff just after 11 a.m. said the Capitol complex, including the Legislative Office Building, remained open though employees were allowed to work from home for the rest of the day. The email from Chief Administrative Officer Lia Lopez told lawmakers there was “increased security along paths traveled between the buildings and parking structures.”

The Capitol shutdown was prompted by two shootings Wednesday evening, in Citrus Heights and Roseville. Around 8:45 p.m. a man in a gold F-150 was reportedly “driving through Citrus Heights shooting from his vehicle,” according to Roseville police.

About 10 minutes later, Roseville officers were called to Kaiser Roseville Medical Center at Eureka Road and Douglas Boulevard. The occupant of a vehicle matching the Citrus Heights incident was “shooting towards the building as he was driving out of the parking lot,” police said.

Two rounds were discovered lodged in the exterior of Kaiser’s Women’s & Children’s Center, according to officials, but no one was injured and the bullets did not pierce the building.

Several sources told The Sacramento Bee that as the suspect left the area before police arrived he made a threat to shoot at the Capitol. As of Thursday afternoon, Pinney and the pickup truck had not been located.

Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, said she was entering the Capitol Thursday morning for a 9 a.m. Assembly floor session when she was ushered out of the building. Carrillo said she was also told there was a shooting connected to a threat at the Capitol.

That was when the California Highway Patrol notified the state Senate “of a threat they consider to be credible involving the Capitol,” according to a letter from Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras to lawmakers and their staff.

The Senate floor session was delayed for several minutes and moved to the O Street office building. They convened for several minutes before adjourning. All Senate staff who had not yet reported to work at the Capitol were asked to remain home and work remotely. Those who were already in their offices were asked to remain in place until further information was available, according to Contreras.

By late morning, the emergency seemed to be over.

“Legislators are inside and safe,” Sen. Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, said in a social media post. “There is not an active shooter. There was a credible threat and precautions are being taken.”

In a joint statement, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon thanked law enforcement and other officials for their swift action in clearing the Capitol:

“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. 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. In this situation, we must put everyone’s safety and security first. We encourage everyone to stay alert and stay safe

This is a developing story; check back with sacbee.com for updates.

The Bee’s Maggie Angst, Sam Stanton Cathie Anderson and Andrew Sheeler contributed to this story.