An Auburn man was arrested today for his part in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
43 year old Shane J. Woods of Auburn is charged with federal offenses that include assault on a law enforcement officer; assault in special maritime and territorial jurisdiction; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, among other charges. Woods will make his initial court appearance in the Central District of Illinois this afternoon.
According to court documents, Woods was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a large crowd of protesters who were congregated on the lower west terrace in the northwest corner of the building. Around 2:10 p.m., a U.S. Capitol Police officer was one among several sprayed with bear mace, which obstructed her vision. As the officer tried to pursue the individual who sprayed the bear mace, Woods can be seen in publicly available video running toward her. He then tripped the officer and pushed her to the ground.
At approximately 4:50 p.m., a large crowd made its way to a media staging area that was set up outside the northeast corner of the U.S. Capitol grounds. As individuals stormed past metal barricades, media members were forced to flee the area before recovering all of their cameras and equipment. As depicted in several publicly posted videos and images, Woods gathered in the vicinity of the media staging area around 5 p.m. where several protesters were yelling and spitting at members of the news media near a pushed-over fence next to the staging area. Moments later, Woods climbed over the toppled fence and participated in the assault on the media equipment. Woods can be seen walking around the piled media equipment, as well as picking up and tossing some of it. He was also observed walking closely around a cameraman. As depicted in publicly available video, Woods then ran into and tackled the cameraman, causing him to fall and drop his camera.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, who identified Woods as #238 in its seeking information photos, with significant assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI’s Springfield Field Office.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-225-5324 or visit tips.fbi.gov. In the 150 days since Jan. 6, approximately 465 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.