A Central Illinois man pleaded guilty to felony charges for assaulting a law enforcement officer and assaulting a member of the media during the January 6th, 2021 Capitol breach. 44-year-old Shane Jason Woods of Auburn pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and a related federal assault charge. 

Woods was among those illegally on the Capitol grounds, joining a mob on the Lower West Terrace.  At 2:10 PM, an individual sprayed a Capitol Police Officer with a chemical irritant and fled.  The Police Officer pursued the person who sprayed her.  As she did, Woods lowered his shoulder and rammed into her, knocking her off her feet and sending her crashing into a downed bicycle barricade.  

Woods also gathered with numerous other rioters at 5 PM in the media staging area on the northeast side of the Capitol. He walked around some of the equipment that had been destroyed and tossed some of it himself.  A member of the news media attempted to walk away to protect himself and his camera.  Woods took a running start and hit the man with a blindside tackle, knocking him to the ground and damaging the camera. 

Woods was arrested on June 24th, 2021 in Springfield, Illinois.  He is set to be sentenced on January 13th, 2023.  The charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a law enforcement officer carries a maximum of eight years in prison, while the federal assault charge carries a maximum of one year.  Both charges carry financial penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence given.

The case is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for DC and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.  The US Attorney’s Office for DC, thanked the Central District of Illinois US Attorney’s Office for their support.  The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the incident along with the Metropolitan Police Department and the US Capitol Police.