Who is Jackson Pinney, the suspect behind the California Capitol shooting threat?
The suspect behind the shooting threat that caused lawmakers to evacuate from the California state Capitol was identified as a 30-year-old man named Jackson Pinney, who was arrested Thursday afternoon in Granite Bay.
Pinney, of Hayward, was arrested just after 4 p.m. near the intersection of Douglas Boulevard. and Auburn-Folsom Road, according to the Roseville Police Department. He was expected to be booked into the Placer County Jail on an array of charges, including attempted homicide, assault with a firearm, shooting from a moving vehicle and at an inhabited dwelling and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Prior to threatening the state Capitol, Pinney was identified as a suspect in a Wednesday night shooting spree in Citrus Heights and Roseville.
At approximately 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Citrus Heights Police Department received a call about a shooting at a business near Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Avenue. That initial call was followed by reports of a second shooting nearby from someone inside a truck.
Citrus Heights Police found that the truck — a 2002 gold Ford F-150 — was registered to Pinney. His DMV photo also matched the description of the suspect, according to police. The vehicle has California license plate 6V04299. The California Highway Patrol identified another vehicle connected to Pinney, a 1996 white Acura Integra — California license plate 6FWU532.
Before officers located Pinney, he fled toward the city of Roseville where he allegedly continued firing rounds from his truck. Roseville Police received a call at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Douglas Boulevard regarding a suspect firing shots at a building as he was driving out of the parking lot. Throughout the shooting spree, no injuries or fatalities were reported, according to police.
Pinney was arrested 4½ miles from the Kaiser Hospital that he allegedly shot at the night prior.
Pinney made ‘credible threat’ on Capitol
Roseville and Citrus Heights Police say Pinney was related to the “credible threat” that caused California Highway Patrol to briefly call for an evacuation of the State Capitol on Thursday morning.
As of the late afternoon, the Capitol was closed to visitors and members of the legislature. It remains unclear when the building will be reopened.
Roseville and Citrus Heights Police and the California Highway Patrol are working together to continue investigating the matter.
Pinney has rap sheets in Alameda, Stanislaus counties
According to online court records, Pinney has a criminal record dating back nearly a decade in the Bay Area’s Alameda County.
He has been charged with an array of misdemeanors and felonies from 2010 through May 2022, though it’s unclear what those specific charges were.
In April 2021, he was arrested by the Ceres Police Department for causing a disturbance in two retail stores near Modesto. At the time, authorities said Pinney was living in Oakdale.
Pinney, who reportedly appeared to be on drugs at the time, got into a verbal altercation with employees of a Big 5 Sporting Goods, as well as a Togo’s sandwich shop. He was arrested for shoplifting and resisting arrest. While being booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center, deputies also discovered Pinney was in possession of suspected heroin.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Who is Jackson Pinney, the suspect behind the California Capitol shooting threat?."