Illinois man charged in officer attack during Jan. 6 riot
CHICAGO (AP) — A man has become at least the 11th Illinois resident to be charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and the first of the approximately 500 arrested in the insurrection to be accused of assaulting a member of the media.
Forty-three-year-old Shane Jason Woods of Auburn, in central Illinois, was arrested Thursday and charged with assault on a law enforcement officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, the Chicago Tribune reported.
According to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., video footage shows Woods deliberately tripping a U.S. Capitol police officer then pushing her to the ground as she tried to pursue someone else who had sprayed her with bear mace.
Hours later, videos show Woods running after a cameraman and tackling him from behind, causing him to drop his camera, the complaint says. The journalist has estimated the mob caused at least $34,000 in damage, according to the complaint. Other videos and still images show Woods climbing over a fence that had been knocked down, and grabbing and throwing cameras and other equipment to the ground, the complaint alleges.
Woods does not have a listed telephone number and could not be reached for comment.
His arrest comes days after a Chicago police officer, Karol Chwiesiuk, was charged with breaching the Capitol and entering a senator's office, after authorities say he texted photos of himself inside the building while wearing a police department sweatshirt.
