Illinois man sentenced to 4.5 years for attacking officer, cameraman at Jan. 6 Capitol riot
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Illinois man has been sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison for assaulting a police officer and a TV cameraman during the U.S. Capitol insurrection.
Shane Jason Woods, of downstate Auburn, pleaded guilty last year to two federal charges. The 4 ½ year prison sentence handed down Wednesday morning by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta is the longest sentence so far given to any Illinois resident convicted in connection with the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Woods, 45, is still facing a murder charge in Sangamon County, accused of causing a drunken crash near Springfield during an apparent suicide attempt, killing a woman from Skokie two months after he'd pleaded guilty in the Capitol insurrection.
Federal prosecutors have said, during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Woods was caught on video wearing all black clothing – including a baseball cap with a stars and stripes brim and "TRUMP" written across the front, and a surgical mask with TRUMP 2021 written on it – as he tripped a U.S. Capitol police officer and shoved her to the ground as she chased someone else who had sprayed her with mace.
Woods later was caught on video as he tackled a TV news cameraman who was trying to leave a staging area that had been overcome by rioters.
When federal prosecutors announced the charges against Woods in June 2021, they said he was the first person to be arrested for attacking a member of the news media during the Capitol riot.
In a sentencing memo, Woods' defense attorney said Woods has "struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues for some time," which played a role in his 2022 arrest in Sangamon County.
On Nov. 8, 2022, a Divernon police officer pulled over Woods in Sangamon County, and smelled alcohol on his breath. After Woods made statements about attempting suicide, he fled the traffic stop, and ended up driving the wrong way on Interstate 55 near Springfield, hitting two other cars and flipping over.
The crash killed 35-year-old Lauren Wegner, of Skokie. Two other people were injured.
Woods was charged with murder, aggravated DUI, and aggravated fleeing in connection to the crash, and is set to face trial in January.