Illinois man is first charged for attacking journalists during Capitol riot

By Sarah N. Lynch and Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Illinois man on Thursday became the first person charged for attacking journalists during the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

Shane Jason Woods, 43, of Auburn, who also goes by the name Shane Castleman, was also charged with crimes including assaulting law enforcement and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, the Justice Department announced.

Attorney General Merrick Garland touted the arrest in a statement on Thursday, noting that the department has now arrested 500 people who took part in the violence, including 100 who are facing charges for attacking police, he noted.

The violence left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

"The Department of Justice will continue to follow the facts in this case and charge what the evidence supports to hold all January 6th perpetrators accountable," he said.

According to court papers, Woods was recorded on video wearing a Trump baseball cap and Trump face mask while walking around in a restricted area at the Capitol, and assaulting a U.S. Capitol Police officer, causing her to trip and fall to the ground.

Woods was also allegedly caught on camera targeting journalists who were filming the attack on the Capitol, and was among a larger crowd of people who "yelled inflammatory rhetoric" against the news media.

In one video, the FBI said Woods can be seen "walking closely around a cameraman dressed in blue jeans and a blue jacket" and then tackles the cameraman to the ground.

"The manner of attack on the cameraman was very similar to the attack" on the U.S. Capitol Police officer, the complaint said.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Berkrot)