Sacramento suspect in ABC10 shooting arrested by FBI after release from jail
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- FBI re-arrested ABC10 shooting suspect Saturday after $200K jail release
- Suspect faces local firearm charges and federal interference violations
- Shooting left no injuries; motive remains under active investigation
The man suspected of opening fire on ABC10’s Sacramento offices was taken back into custody Saturday by the FBI, the same day of his release from the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Anibal Hernandezsantana, 64, of Sacramento was initially arrested and booked into the jail in connection with Friday’s shooting at the TV station in Upper Land Park. No one was hurt in the shooting and officers found at least three gunshots in one of the building’s windows.
By Saturday afternoon, Sacramento officials confirmed Hernandezsantana had been released from the jail after posting his bail of $200,000. He was arrested later that day on federal charges, according to an FBI spokesperson.
Hernandezsantana, named Hernandez-Santana by the FBI, is accused of violating federal statute 47 USC 333, which states no person can “willfully or maliciously interfere” with radio communications licensed or authorized by the federal government. ABC10 (KXTV) is owned by Tegna, a national chain of TV stations.
“The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” the FBI spokesperson wrote in a statement on Saturday.
Hernandezsantana is scheduled to appear in Sacramento federal court at 2 p.m. on Monday.
He is also scheduled to make an appearance in Sacramento Superior Court for the local charges at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, according to jail records. Hernandezsantana faces three felony charges of firing a gun at an occupied building, assault with a deadly weapon and firing a gun in a negligent manner.
Mark Reichel, an attorney for Hernandezsantana, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Friday shooting was reported around 1:30 p.m. in the 400 block of Broadway of Upper Land Park. One day earlier, roughly 15 people had protested outside the ABC10 offices after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show following pressure from the federal administration.
Sacramento police reported that people were inside the building at the time of the shooting, but nobody was struck by gunfire. Investigators identified the suspect vehicle in the shooting, which later led officers to arrest Hernandezsantana at a home in the 5400 block of Carlson Drive in Sacramento’s River Park neighborhood.
As of Saturday, police said the motive behind the shooting remained under investigation.
Social media accounts matching the suspect’s name, written as Hernandez Santana, show he posted frequently about politics. Posts in the last week criticized President Donald Trump, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist who was fatally shot earlier this month.
“President Trump’s brain is where democracy goes to die,” the X account wrote on April 9.
In a post the morning of the shooting, the account reposted a video of a Republican Congressman saying Kirk would have been the 13th disciple if he lived during the biblical times.
“This is Blasphemy. can’t believe these Republicans sucking up to their own twisted show,” the account wrote.
Hernandezsantana studied regional and city planning at UC Berkeley and attended UC Law San Francisco, according to a Facebook profile with his same name. A Linkedin profile matching his social media profiles said he had worked for several employers including the National Council of Urban Indian Health, California Federation of Teachers, Latino Coalition for a Health California and California Catholic Conference.
The account said he was now retired and engaged in “full-time parenting.” Sacramento Superior Court records show Hernandezsantana filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the California Rural Health Board in February 2019. The lawsuit was withdrawn in July 2020.
This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM.
