Roseville shooting suspect who prompted incident at California Capitol arrested
SACRAMENTO – As a symbol of the state, the Capitol building has been a lightning rod of activity over the course of California's sometimes turbulent history.
On Thursday, a "credible threat" prompted some lawmakers to evacuate from the building. Authorities said Wednesday night's shootings in Citrus Heights and Roseville appear to be linked to the threat – with a search still underway for the suspect, 30-year-old Hayward resident Jackson Pinney.
Despite the heightened alert status, it felt like business as usual inside the building on Thursday.
The California State Capitol on Thursday, April 13.
Young students could even still be seen getting tours inside the Capitol.
A group of children getting a tour of the California State Capitol on Thursday, April 13 2023.
It's a stark contrast to just a few years ago when – in response to the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol days earlier – security was tightened all around the California State Capitol.
California Highway Patrol officers stand watch at the California State Capitol in Sacramento on January 17, 2021. - The FBI warned authorities in all 50 states to prepare for armed protests at state capitals in the days leading up to the January 20 presidential inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images
Sacramento, CA - January 17:A National Guardsman stands near the California State Capitol on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021 in Sacramento, CA. An FBI warning of armed protests planned at all 50 statehouses and the U.S. Capitol in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration Jan. 20 has brought out SWAT teams and extra law enforcement officers.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Gina Ferazzi
Law enforcement officials were concerned about more possible political unrest leading up to the inauguration of Pres. Joe Biden. Despite some protests, no major incidents occurred.
TOPSHOT - Christian Alvarado holds an American flag while standing in front of a gated-off State Capitol in Sacramento, California on January 17, 2021 during a nationwide protest called by anti-government and far-right groups supporting US President Donald Trump and his claim of electoral fraud in the November 3 presidential election. - The FBI warned authorities in all 50 states to prepare for armed protests at state capitals in the days leading up to the January 20 presidential inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images
However, this was not the case back on June 26, 2016 when dueling protesters clashed outside the California State Capitol.
Protesters clash at the California State Capitol steps on June 26, 2016.
CBS
A group that called themselves the Traditionalist Worker Party, along with the Golden State Skinheads, organized a rally outside the Capitol that Sunday. They were met by counter-protesters and the situation escalated – ending with nearly a dozen people being stabbed or beaten.
384426 01: An 18-wheel semi truck lies on the south steps of the California State Capitol in Sacramento January 17, 2001 after ramming into the building and catching on fire the night before. The driver was killed in the crash but no other injuries were reported. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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Authorities said a parolee with a reported grudge against then-Gov. Gray Davis was behind the attack, which happened just as the Assembly was clearing out after an evening session. The suspect died in the incident.
384426 03: The remains of an 18-wheel semi truck lie partially inside room 113 of the California State Capitol in Sacramento January 17, 2001 after ramming into the building and catching on fire the night before. The driver was killed in the crash but no other injuries were reported. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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The shocking image of the burned-out truck in front of California's Capitol left a lasting impression – and prompted the installation of new anti-vehicle obstacles all around the building.
384426 05: A California Highway Patrol photographer documents the damage to an 18-wheel semi truck January 17, 2001 after it rammed itself into the California State Capitol and caught on fire the night before. The driver of the truck, which was reportedly carrying cans of evaporated milk, was killed in the crash but no other injuries were reported. (Joe Jaszewski/Newsmakers)
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Decades before that, the California State Capitol became a flashpoint during the Civil Rights Movement. On May 2, 1967, armed protesters entered the Capitol building and Assembly chambers.
Two members of the Black Panther Party are met on the steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento, May 2, 1967, by Police Lt. Ernest Holloway, who informs them they will be allowed to keep their weapons as long as they cause no trouble and do not disturb the peace. Earlier several members had invaded the Assembly chambers and had their guns taken away.
Bettmann
The protest was in response to the then-pending Mulford Act, which would prohibit Californians from carrying loaded firearms in public without a permit. Ronald Reagan, who was California's governor at the time, went on to sign that bill into law a little over a month after the incident.
The California State Capitol building was completed in 1874.
Cecilio Padilla is a digital producer for CBS Sacramento and a Sacramento-area native who has been covering Northern California for more than a decade.
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