WASHINGTON – An Illinois man pleaded guilty today to felony charges for assaulting a law enforcement officer and assaulting a member of the media during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Shane Jason Woods, 44, of Auburn, Illinois, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and a related federal assault charge.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Woods was among those illegally on the Capitol grounds, joining a mob in the Lower West Terrace area. At approximately 2:10 p.m., an individual in the crowd sprayed a Capitol Police officer with a chemical irritant and fled. The 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. The officer felt immediate pain and the next day, she felt as if she had been “hit by a truck.”
In addition, later Jan. 6, Woods gathered with numerous other rioters at approximately 5 p.m. in the media staging area on the northeast side of the Capitol. He walked around some of the piled media equipment that had been and was in the process of being destroyed by other rioters, and he tossed some of it himself. At the same time, 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 shoulder tackle, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop the camera.
Woods was arrested June 24, 2021, in Springfield, Illinois. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 13, 2023. The charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a law enforcement officer carries a statutory maximum of eight years in prison. The federal assault charge carries a statutory maximum of one year. Both charges also carry potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Woods as #238 on its seeking information photos, as well as the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Field Office. Valuable assistance has been provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
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 breach of the U.S. 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 visit tips.fbi.gov.