Illinois man pleads guilty to felonies in 2021 Capitol riot

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CHICAGO (AP) — A central Illinois man pleaded guilty Friday to felony charges for assaulting a law enforcement officer and a member of the news media during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors said.

Shane Jason Woods, 44, of Auburn, Illinois, south of Springfield, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and a related federal assault charge, prosecutors said.

Court documents say Woods was among people on the Capitol grounds illegally, joining a mob in the Lower West Terrace area. Someone in the crowd sprayed a Capitol Police officer with a chemical irritant and fled, and when the officer pursued that person, Woods lowered his shoulder and rammed into her, knocking her off her feet and sending her crashing into a downed bicycle barricade, prosecutors said.

Later that day, Woods gathered with other rioters in the media staging area at the Capitol and joined others in damaging media equipment, according to prosecutors. When a member of the media tried to walk away to protect himself and his camera, Woods ran at him and tackled him, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop the camera, prosecutors said.

Woods was arrested June 24, 2021, in Springfield.

He is scheduled 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.

Woods is among more than 30 Illinois residents charged in the Capitol riot.