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Sean Dunn shortly before his arrest for throwing a sandwich a Border Patrol officers
Sean Dunn, who threw a Subway sandwich at a Border Patrol officer out of frustration in August, was acquitted of misdemeanor assault.
A federal jury in Washington, D.C., on Thursday found Sean Charles Dunn, a former Justice Department paralegal who became known online as “the sandwich guy,” not guilty of misdemeanor assault after a viral August confrontation with federal agents on a D.C. street.
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The verdict closes a surreal yet consequential case that began when Dunn, frustrated by the Trump administration’s militarization of the capital, tossed a wrapped Subway sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer. His attorneys called it a “symbolic act of protest.” Prosecutors argued it was a federal crime.
The jury sided with Dunn.
The incident happened on U Street, a corridor long associated with Black culture and LGBTQ+ nightlife in northwest Washington. Federal agents had been deployed under President Donald Trump’s order to “restore law and order” amid his security crackdown. Dunn, 37, shouted, “Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” before launching the sandwich at an officer’s ballistic vest. No one was injured. Days later, the White House published a propaganda video showing a SWAT team of armed officers arriving at Dunn's luxury condo building to arrest him.
Yet what might have been a footnote of frustration spiraled into a month-long legal battle. Dunn was fired from the Justice Department soon after his arrest. Trump administration prosecutors initially sought felony charges, which a grand jury rejected, before pursuing a misdemeanor case.
Jurors concluded that his actions didn’t meet the legal threshold for assault.
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