Woods could face between 33 and 41 months in jail, according to US District Judge Amit Metha – Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.
An Illinois man pleaded guilty Friday to felony charges for assaulting a female law enforcement officer and a journalist during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on Capitol Hill. according to the Department of Justice in a statement.
The department said that the man identified as Shane Jason Woods, 44, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or hindering law enforcement officers, in addition to one count of federal assault.
Woods was among the people who prepared to enter the legislative building, and according to court documents, he joined a group in the Lower West Terrace area.
Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach https://t.co/WBY8TTkraY @TheJusticeDept @FBIWFO @FBISpringfield @USAO_CDIL
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) September 9, 2022
According to court documents, Woods rammed a female police officer with his body, which moments before was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant.
The attacked agent specified that the impact caused her to crash into a demolished bicycle barricade, resulting in pain described as if she had been “hit by a truck.”
Woods later walked to the Capitol’s media staging area, where he saw a photojournalist from Reuters. According to the documents, he chased and shouldered him to the ground, causing the camera to fall.
In addition to assaulting a cop, Shane Jason Woods was the first Jan. 6 rioter charged for assaulting a member of the media. https://t.co/pLygaZk59t pic.twitter.com/KxtKxyUfu1
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) September 9, 2022
Several videos on YouTube were used by the authorities to verify the attacks. The documents noted that Woods was wearing a Donald Trump face mask and hat.
According to US District Judge Amit Metha, Reuters reported that Woods, from Auburn, Illinois, faces between 33 and 41 months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 2023.
You may also like:
- Steve Bannon surrenders to the New York prosecutor’s office on charges of fraud and conspiracy
- Rioter is sentenced to 46 months in prison after hitting police with a Trump flag during the assault on Capitol Hill
- Former NYPD officer gets ten years in prison for attacking a police officer on January 6 outside the Capitol
The case is being investigated by the Washington DC field office of the FBI, which was charged with identifying Woods, and the Springfield, Illinois field office of the FBI. The Metropolitan Police Department and Capitol Police have also supported the investigation.
More than 870 people have been arrested for crimes related to the Capitol assault, including more than 265 people charged with assault or impeding law enforcement.