An Illinois man pleaded guilty to felony charges for assaulting a police officer and media member during the attack on the U.S. Capitol last year.
Shane Woods, of Auburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and a related federal assault charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Woods, 44, was arrested June 24, 2021, in Springfield and is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 13. He faces up to nine years in prison.
Woods was among those illegally on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents. About 2:10 p.m., he “lowered his shoulder and rammed into” a Capitol police officer who was pursuing a rioter. Woods then sprayed the officer with a “chemical irritant,” the attorney’s office said. The officer was knocked off her feet and into a downed bicycle barricade.
Hours later, Woods gathered with other rioters near a media staging area on the northeast side of the Capitol and piled media equipment that was being destroyed, the attorney’s office said.
Around the same time, a media member attempted to walk away when Woods took a running start and knocked the man to the ground with a “blindside shoulder tackle,” causing him to drop his camera, the attorney’s office said.
In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the attack on the Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or go online: tips.fbi.gov.
