Tag: sandwich guy

Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge – WTOP News

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A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault.

FILE – Posters of a person throwing a sandwich are pictured along H Street, Aug. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)(AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.

A viral video of the sandwich tossing made Sean Charles Dunn a symbol of resistance to Trump’s deployment of federal agents to combat crime in the nation’s capital.

His misdemeanor acquittal is another setback for prosecutors, who have faced a backlash for their aggressive charging tactics during the law enforcement surge. The Justice Department had initially sought a felony assault indictment against Dunn, but in a highly unusual move, the grand jury declined to sign off on the felony charge. The office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro then charged Dunn with a misdemeanor.

There was no dispute over whether Dunn threw the sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on the night of Aug. 10. But his lawyers argued it was a “harmless gesture” during an act of protest protected by the First Amendment.

Prosecutors said Dunn knew he did not have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent. Dunn shouted “fascists” and “racists” and chanted “shame” toward the group of agents who were in front of a club hosting a “Latin Night.”

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted, according to police.

After the foreperson read the verdict, Dunn hugged his lawyers. Later, he said, “I’m relieved and I’m looking forward to moving on with my life.”

Court officers escorted the 12 jurors out of the building. A group of reporters followed. Several jurors, including the foreperson, declined to be interviewed.

Dunn ran away after hitting the agent with the sandwich but was apprehended. He was released from custody but rearrested when armed federal agents in riot gear raided his home. The White House posted a highly produced “propaganda” video of the raid on its official X account, Dunn’s lawyers said.

Dunn worked as a paralegal for the Justice Department. After Dunn’s arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his firing in a social media post that referred to him as “an example of the Deep State.”

Dunn lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the case for what they alleged was a vindictive and selective prosecution. They argued that the posts by Bondi and the White House show Dunn was impermissibly targeted for his political speech.

Dunn did not testify at his trial, but the jury heard him explain after his arrest why he had confronted the CBP agents. A law enforcement officer’s body camera captured him saying, “I did it. I threw a sandwich. I did it to draw them away from where they were. I succeeded.”

After his acquittal, Dunn said he was trying to protect the rights of immigrants that night.

“Let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says, ‘e pluribus unum.’ That means ‘from many, one,” he told reporters. “Every life matters no matter where you came from, no matter how you got here, no matter how you identify it. You have the right to live a life that is free.”

One of Dunn’s defense attorneys, Sabrina Shroff, said the legal team was thankful that the jury “sent back an affirmation that dissent is what is not just tolerated, it is legal. It is welcome.”

CBP Agent Gregory Lairmore testified that the sandwich “exploded” when it struck his chest hard enough that he could feel it through his ballistic vest.

“You could smell the onions and the mustard,” he recalled.

Lairmore’s colleagues jokingly gave him gifts making light of the incident, including a sandwich-shaped plush toy and a patch that said “felony footlong.” Lairmore acknowledged that he kept the gifts, placing the patch on his lunchbox.

Dunn was charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer. Dozens of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6., 2021, were convicted of felonies for assaulting or interfering with police during the attack. In January, Trump pardoned or ordered the dismissal of charges for all of them.

___ Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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November 6, 2025
Jury deliberates in assault case against DC man who threw sandwich at federal agent in viral video – WTOP News

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A jury began deliberating Wednesday in the Justice Department’s assault case against a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent, turning him into a symbol of resistance to President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury began deliberating Wednesday in the Justice Department’s assault case against a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent, turning him into a symbol of resistance to President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.

Jurors deliberated for roughly two hours at Sean Charles Dunn’s federal trial before they adjourned for the day. They’re due back Thursday.

Prosecutors told jurors that Dunn broke the law when he threw his submarine sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on the night of Aug. 10.

One of Dunn’s lawyers urged the jury to acquit Dunn, a former Justice Department employee, of a misdemeanor assault charge after a two-day trial. Defense attorney Sabrina Shroff questioned why the case was brought in the first place.

“A footlong from Subway could not and certainly did not inflict any bodily harm,” Shroff said during the trial’s closing arguments. “Throwing a sandwich is not a forcible offense.”

Prosecutors from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said Dunn knew he didn’t have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent.

“This is not a case about someone with strong opinions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiLorenzo said. “It’s about an individual who crossed the line.”

Dunn didn’t testify at his trial. But the jury heard him explain why he confronted a group of CBP agents on the same weekend that Trump announced his deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents to assist with police patrols in Washington, D.C.

After his arrest, a law-enforcement officer’s body camera captured him saying: “I did it. I threw a sandwich. I did it to draw them away from where they were. I succeeded.”

A grand jury refused to indict Dunn on a felony assault count, part of a pattern of pushback against the Justice Department’s prosecution of surge-related criminal cases. After the rare rebuke from the grand jury, Pirro’s office charged Dunn instead with a misdemeanor.

When Dunn approached a group of CBP agents who were in front of a club hosting a “Latin Night,” he called them “fascists” and “racists” and chanted “shame” toward them. An observer’s video captured Dunn throwing a sandwich at an agent’s chest.

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted, according to police.

Dunn ran away but was apprehended. DiLorenzo said the agents confronted by Dunn showed “the utmost restraint.”

“He spent seven minutes trying to get them off that corner,” the prosecutor said.

CBP Agent Gregory Lairmore testified that the sandwich “exploded” when it struck his chest hard enough that he could feel it through his ballistic vest.

“You could smell the onions and the mustard,” he recalled.

Lairmore’s colleagues jokingly gave him gifts making light of the incident, including a sandwich-shaped plush toy and a patch that said “felony footlong.” Lairmore acknowledged that he kept the gifts, placing the patch on his lunchbox.

“If someone assaulted you, someone offended you, would you keep mementos of that assault?” Shroff asked jurors. “Of course not.”

Dunn was released from custody but rearrested when a team of armed federal agents in riot gear raided his home. The White House posted a highly produced “propaganda” video of the raid on its official X account, Dunn’s lawyers said.

Dunn worked as an international affairs specialist in the Justice Department’s criminal division. After Dunn’s arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his firing in a social media post that referred to him as “an example of the Deep State.”

His lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the case for what they allege is a vindictive and selective prosecution. They argued that the posts by Bondi and the White House show Dunn was impermissibly targeted for his political speech.

Dunn is charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer. Dozens of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol were convicted of felonies for assaulting or interfering with police during the Jan. 6 attack. Trump pardoned or ordered the dismissal of charges for all of them.

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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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November 5, 2025
The man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent says it was a protest. Prosecutors say it’s a crime – WTOP News

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Hurling a sandwich at a federal agent was an act of protest for Washington, D.C., resident Sean Charles Dunn. A jury must decide if it was also a federal crime.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurling a sandwich at a federal agent was an act of protest for Washington, D.C., resident Sean Charles Dunn. A jury must decide if it was also a federal crime.

“No matter who you are, you can’t just go around throwing stuff at people because you’re mad,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parron told jurors on Tuesday at the start of Dunn’s trial on a misdemeanor assault charge.

Dunn doesn’t dispute that he threw his submarine-style sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent outside a nightclub on the night of Aug. 10. It was an “exclamation point” for Dunn as he expressed his opposition to President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital, defense attorney Julia Gatto said during the trial’s opening statements.

“It was a harmless gesture at the end of him exercising his right to speak out,” Gatto said. “He is overwhelmingly not guilty.”

A bystander’s cellphone video of the confrontation went viral on social media, turning Dunn into a symbol of resistance against Trump’s monthslong federal takeover. Murals depicting him mid-throw popped up in the city virtually overnight.

“He did it. He threw the sandwich,” Gatto told jurors. “And now the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has turned that moment — a thrown sandwich — into a criminal case, a federal criminal case charging a federal offense.”

A grand jury refused to indict Dunn on a felony assault count, part of a pattern of pushback against the Justice Department’s prosecution of surge-related criminal cases. After the rare rebuke from the grand jury, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office charged Dunn instead with a misdemeanor.

CBP Agent Gregory Lairmore, the government’s first witness, said the sandwich “exploded” when it struck his chest hard enough that he could feel it through his ballistic vest.

“You could smell the onions and the mustard,” he recalled.

Lairmore and other CBP agents were standing in front of a club hosting a “Latin Night” when Dunn approached and shouted profanities at them, calling them “fascists” and “racists” and chanting “shame.”

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted, according to police.

Lairmore testified that he and the other agents tried to de-escalate the situation.

“He was red-faced. Enraged. Calling me and my colleagues all kinds of names,” he said. “I didn’t respond. That’s his constitutional right to express his opinion.”

After throwing the sandwich, Dunn ran away but was apprehended about a block away.

Later, Lairmore’s colleagues jokingly gave him gifts making light of the incident, including a subway sandwich-shaped plush toy and a patch that said “felony footlong.” Defense attorney Sabrina Schroff pointed to those as proof that the agents recognize this case is “overblown” and “worthy of a joke.”

Parron told jurors that everybody is entitled to their views about Trump’s federal surge.

“Respectfully, that’s not what this case is about,” the prosecutor said. “You just can’t do what the defendant did here. He crossed a line.”

Dunn was a Justice Department employee who worked as an international affairs specialist in its criminal division. After Dunn’s arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his firing in a social media post that referred to him as “an example of the Deep State.”

Dunn was released from custody but rearrested when a team of armed federal agents in riot gear raided his home. The White House posted a highly produced “propaganda” video of the raid on its official X account, Dunn’s lawyers said.

Dunn’s lawyers have argued that the posts by Bondi and the White House show Dunn was impermissibly targeted for his political speech. They urged U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to dismiss the case for what they allege is a vindictive and selective prosecution. Nichols, who was nominated by Trump, didn’t rule on that request before the trial started Monday.

Dunn is charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer. Dozens of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol were convicted of felonies for assaulting or interfering with police during the Jan. 6 attack. Trump pardoned or ordered the dismissal of charges for all of them.

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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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November 4, 2025
‘We’re highlighting the ridiculousness of it’: How ‘the sandwich guy’ became the face of DC resistance – WTOP News

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After being filmed throwing a sandwich at a law enforcement agent, Sean Charles Dunn is becoming the face of D.C. resistance as his likeness is being used in artwork throughout the region.

Street art in Washington D.C. in the style of Banksy, which references the recent incident where a man threw a sandwich at a federal officer.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander

Posters of a person throwing a sandwich are pictured along H Street, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 10: A man, who was later arrested. for assaulting law enforcement with a sandwich, interacts with Border Patrol and FBI agents along the U Street corridor on August 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to Washington, DC in an effort to curb crime.
(Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 21: A person walks past Banksy-style posters of a protester throwing a sandwich on August 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration has deployed federal officers and the National Guard to the District in order to place the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and assist in crime prevention in the nation’s capital. A Justice Department employee who threw a sub sandwich at a federal agent in an act of defiance has turned into a city icon for protest.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

A protester holds up a loaf of bread in front of the White House as Thousands march through Washington D.C. in protest of Donald Trump’s use of federal agents and the National Guard to conduct policing actions throughout the city. August 16, 2025 (Photo by Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images via AFP)
(Photo by DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo by DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

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How ‘the sandwich guy’ became the face of DC resistance

Though some call it a sub, others call it a hoagie or a grinder. But after Sean Charles Dunn was filmed throwing a foot-long sandwich at a federal law enforcement agent on Aug. 11 in D.C., he became known as “the sandwich guy.”

Now, artwork depicting his likeness has covered the District of Columbia.

Since the incident, Dunn was arrested on an assault charge, the video went viral, he was fired from his job at the Justice Department and prosecutors failed to indict the Air Force veteran for hitting the Customs and Border Protection agent in the chest with the sandwich.

He’s also become the face of D.C.’s resistance to the law enforcement surge implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration.

In homage to graffiti artist Banksy’s “Flower Thrower,” images of Dunn throwing the sandwich started popping up on buildings around the District and T-shirts worn by Washingtonians.

Speaking to some D.C. residents in front of “the sandwich thrower” image on Columbus Road in Adams Morgan, WTOP tried to find out why so many have thrown their support behind Dunn.

“I think it’s more of like a folk hero thing,’’ Connor told WTOP. “He’s just sort of a symbol for the emotion that everybody is feeling, watching people get abducted off the streets and mistreated and manhandled.”

Another D.C. resident, John, was not sure if the image is the face of resistance, but rather just an embodiment for the pent up feelings many in the District have had for a long time.

“Not being a state and not having representation here, it feels like we are powerless against literally anything anyone wants to do to us and against us,” John said.

A native North Carolinian was more blunt in her description of D.C.’s infatuation with “the sandwich guy.”

“We’re highlighting the ridiculousness of it,” Betsy Jordan said.

She said Dunn being charged for a felony for throwing a sandwich was extreme.

“Just like frogs in a pile of hot water, they get used to it so they don’t jump out. We are getting used to things being normalized,” Jordan said.

The sandwich throw heard around the world

Someone who has really delved into the artistic expression of resistance is Lorraine, a former D.C. resident who now lives in Virginia and creates T-shirts, tote bags and enamel pins inspired by Dunn on her Etsy account, RainyMorningPrints.

Each item has D.C.’s flag on the front with the two red stripes replaced by a sub sandwich.

“It really did start off as like a joke in passing. I do, otherwise, very nonpolitical linoleum prints as a hobby, just as like a creative outlet,” Lorraine told WTOP.

With everything going on, Lorraine said she had people in her life who were worried, and she was trying to make someone chuckle.

Tote bag design inspired by “the sandwich guy” that is available through Lorraine’s Rainy Morning Prints Etsy account. (Courtesy Rainy Morning Prints)

“People started reaching out about, you know, wanting to buy the print, wanting, like, some form of this to purchase,” she said.

At first, Lorraine admitted feeling uncomfortable for not only not being a professional artist, but also for Dunn’s situation.

“The man who threw the sandwich was potentially facing prison time, and it didn’t feel right to me to try and make a quick buck off of that,” Lorraine said.

Now, thanks to the 600 items that Lorraine has sold over the last two weeks, she has donated $12,000 to local charities, including the Capital Area Food Bank, Thrive DC and Miriam’s Kitchen.

“Maybe this will help out these organizations in a time when their services are really sorely needed, probably more than usual,” Lorraine said.

WTOP asked Lorraine if she had a message for Dunn.

“Thank you for inspiring this community movement, whether you meant to or not when you first decided to do what you did that night. I think a lot of good has come out of it, just for the community, as we can see with this huge amount of donated money,” she said.

In a very ironic coincidence, while researching the history of the D.C. flag, Lorraine discovered it was designed in 1938 by graphic designer Charles Dunn — no known relation.

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Jimmy Alexander

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August 30, 2025