Hoffman Estates man facing felony charge for physical clash with DC Capitol police during Jan 6 riot

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 60-year-old Hoffman Estates man is facing federal charges, including a felony, for what investigators describe as a physical clash with DC Capitol police during the January 6 uprising.

Tyng Jing Yang was first seen roaming Capitol Hill grounds right outside the building on January 6, 2021, according to FBI photos included in the charges filed against him Wednesday.

Yang, sometimes seen with a COVID mask on or at the ready, is also seen in the swarm entering the building.

He's also captured posing for selfies along the way, FBI agents note.

There is a photo gallery of federal pictures offered up in the five-count felony and misdemeanor complaint against Yang.

Investigators say Yang allegedly walked up a flight of stairs and through a lobby area near the famous Capitol Rotunda. Yang then allegedly entered the Rotunda, where he posed for more pictures and encountered Capitol police and other officers who were greatly outnumbered as they were trying to clear the intruders.

Then, authorities say the suburban Chicago man resisted police. They say he is pictured forcibly interfering by physically grabbing hold of an officer's baton, his nightstick or club. Investigators say the officer was using that baton to try to push back insurrectionists.

"We've seen dozens of cases brought in connection with January 6, and most of them don't involve any kind of violent activity. Here, there's evidence, according to the affidavit, that he put his hand on a baton," said Gil Soffer, an ABC7 legal analyst.

Soffer, a former federal prosecutor, says the civil disorder felony lodged against Yang could yield a serious sentence.

"A felony charges punishable by more than a year in jail. So that's obviously an important distinction right there, but a felony charge sticks on your record in a way that a misdemeanor doesn't. It makes it difficult to get jobs than ever, to possess a handgun, to vote. It is really, really serious consequences," Soffer told the I-Team.

Yang has been released on a $10,000 bond, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in Chicago. A week from Tuesday, Yang is scheduled to appear in a video hearing in front of a Washington D.C. judge.

When I-Team called Yang's cell phone, a man who answered and said, "We don't talk to journalists."