A Northern California man has been arrested following a shooting at an ABC station in Sacramento, police said Saturday.
Anibal Hernandezsantana, 64, was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building and negligent discharge of a firearm, all felonies, a Sacramento police spokesperson told the Daily News.
The incident unfolded early Friday afternoon when police responded to reports of shots being fired into the lobby of local affiliate ABC10 in downtown Sacramento, shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time.
Police say at least three bullets struck a window in what appeared to have been a drive-by shooting. The building was occupied at the time, but “fortunately, nobody was injured.”
“While no injuries have been reported, any act of violence toward journalists is an attack on our democracy itself and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” read a statement issued by the press office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We stand with reporters and staff who work every day to keep communities informed and safe!”
On Saturday, authorities announced the arrest of Hernandezsantana, whose vehicle was identified, “leading officers to a residence in the 5400 block of Carlson Drive,” according to police.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting. In a statement issued early Friday evening, Sacramento police said they didn’t know whether the incident was a targeted or random act.
The shooting came just days after ABC’s controversial decision to “indefinitely” suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over the talk show host’s comments about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
It wasn’t clear if Friday’s incident was connection to that situation, though ABC10 confirmed that a group had gathered outside the station on Thursday to protest Kimmel’s suspension.
Hernandezsantana was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he’s being held on $200,000 bail, according to online records. He’s due back in court on Tuesday.
<