Protesters gathered outside the ABC10 building in Sacramento, California, last Thursday to object to decisions by ABC, Disney, and primary affiliate Nexstar to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s show over his lies to viewers about Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
You may recall Kimmel’s attempt to paint Kirk’s assassin as a MAGA follower.
The next day, a drive-by shooter fired at least three shots into the building. Although at 1:30 p.m. [local time] on a Friday afternoon, the property was occupied, no injuries were reported.
Shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday, the Sacramento Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect. Anibal Hernandez Santana, 64, of Sacramento, faces charges of “assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building, and negligent discharge of a firearm.”
By Saturday night, Hernandez Santana had posted bail and was released from custody.
Just hours after his release, however, he was arrested a second time on federal charges by the FBI and is “now ineligible for bail.” According to local media outlet KCRA 3:
The FBI said [he] was arrested on probable cause for violating federal statute 47 USC 333, which has to do with interference to radio communications of stations that are licensed by the government….Defense attorney Mark Reichel confirmed to KCRA 3 that he is representing Hernandez Santana, but did not have a statement after his first release from jail. KCRA 3 has reached out to him again about the new arrest….Hernandez Santana is set to appear in federal court Monday at 2 p.m., the FBI told KCRA 3.The new jail documents note that Hernandez Santana is on a “federal hold” and is ineligible for bail.Jail records also show him due in Sacramento Superior Court Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Details of the federal charges against Hernandez-Santana remain scarce, but his social media history offers a glimpse of his far-left political views. A widely followed account on X that posts under the handle @AGHamilton29 did some digging and found a profile of a LinkedIn user whose name, location, and age group match what we know about Hernandez Santana. It shows he is a retired legislative director for the California Federation of Teachers.
An X account matching his profile “contains a steady stream of anti-Trump commentary.” The post below captures the tone of most of his incendiary messages.
The authoritarian oligarchy is now complete. CBS+ caving, big law firms in DC, the subservients FBI and AG, university presidents stepping down, fan boys SCOTUS, public radio, ICE goons. We are going to have to ‘fight like hell’. Rules don’t apply if election was stolen. FIGHT!
Based on the inflammatory tone — and the frequency — of Hernandez Santana’s posts (assuming these social-media accounts do indeed belong to him, and it appears likely they do), it’s not too much of a stretch to believe he is capable of opening fire on a building to make a political point.
If it is proven that he was, in fact, the shooter, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Although no one was ultimately harmed, the danger was undeniable, and the act itself remains a grave and indefensible offense.
Don’t count on Sacramento’s courts for a tough sentence; the federal bench, however, could be another story.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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