A man has been arrested by the FBI after authorities say he opened fire into the lobby of a local Sacramento TV station Friday afternoon, in what city police described as a drive-by shooting.
Even though the building was occupied at the time, all employees of KXTV — also known as ABC10 — are safe and unharmed after the shooting, according to Tegna, the media company that owns the station.
KXTV is also a local affiliate of ABC and CNN.
Hours after the shooting — which was reported at 1:30 p.m. local time Friday — 64-year-old Anibal Hernandez Santana was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building and negligent discharge of a firearm in connection to the shooting, the Sacramento Police Department said.
He was arrested after a vehicle match led police to a residence, Sacramento police told CNN early Saturday morning. He was held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on $200,000 bail and released before the end of the day, records show.
But by the end of Saturday, Hernandez Santana was arrested again, this time by the FBI, public affairs officer Gina Swankie told CNN.
He was arrested on probable cause of violating federal statute 47 USC 333, which prohibits “willful or malicious” interference with radio communications of any federally licensed station. Swankie said he fired three rounds from a firearm into the building’s lobby.
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Hernandez Santana is scheduled to appear in federal court on September 22 at 2:00 p.m., Swankie said. His attorney, Mark Reichel, told CNN he has yet to receive any evidence from law enforcement related to the case.
“He has now been charged in federal court, as what was alleged originally as a state court level crime has been elevated to a federal crime by the Trump Department of Justice,” Reichel told CNN.
The shooting came one day after protesters gathered at the station in response to ABC pulling comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show off air “indefinitely” over comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, according to KXTV. There were no protests taking place at the time of the shooting on Friday, CNN affiliate KCRA reported.
In a statement to CNN, Tegna spokesperson Molly McMahon said “while details are still limited, importantly, all of our employees are safe and unharmed. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and have taken additional measures to ensure the continued safety of our employees.”
Police are working to determine whether the station has received any recent threats, said Anthony Gamble, Sacramento police spokesperson. They will also look for digital evidence including surveillance footage, piece together a timeline and interview employees who were inside the station.
“It should never be accepted that somebody is going to drive by any type of business, let alone a media partner, and shoot at the building,” Gamble said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the shooting, his office said in a post on X.
“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,” the post read. “We stand with reporters and staff who work every day to keep communities informed and safe!”
Police are asking the public to share any information that may be related to the case. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips through Crime Stoppers.
CNN’s Jack Hannah contributed to this report.
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