Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in D.C. found not guilty
Washington — A Washington, D.C. man charged with throwing a sandwich at a federal agent has been acquitted of misdemeanor assault after a jury trial.
Sean Dunn faced a single federal misdemeanor count after prosecutors were unable to secure a felony indictment against him from a grand jury following the August incident. He was accused of assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a federal officer.
Images from a court filing show Sean Dunn throwing a sandwich at a federal agent on Aug. 10, 2025. / Credit: Justice Department
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Court documents state that Dunn threw a “submarine-style sandwich” at a Customs and Border Protection officer at a busy intersection in Northwest Washington. The incident quickly went viral and became a symbol of opposition to President Trump’s federal law enforcement presence and National Guard deployment in the city, now entering its third month.
Video of the event, cited in court filings, shows Dunn yelling at officers before throwing the wrapped sandwich at the officer’s chest. He attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended. According to an affidavit, Dunn shouted, “F*** you! You f***ing fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city” before crossing the street and returning to throw the sandwich.
“This was a harmless gesture that did not, and could not, cause injury,” Dunn’s attorney Julia Gatto said during her opening statement, adding that her client had strong feelings about the Trump administration’s federal law enforcement actions in D.C.
Customs and Border Protection Agent Gregory Lairmore, who was hit with the sandwich, testified that he absorbed most of the impact through his ballistic vest. Lairmore described the moment to the courtroom, saying he could smell onions and mustard on his uniform and even had an onion string hanging by his radio later that night. “It exploded all over me,” he said, eliciting laughter from the crowded courtroom.
Dunn did not testify, and his defense team did not present a separate case. They requested dismissal, which U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied.
Prosecutors argued that while Dunn had a right to express anger at federal agents, he did not have the right to strike them, even with a sandwich. “Here we have the defendant throwing a sandwich, but he’s throwing it hard. That meets the definition of force,” the prosecutor said.
Dunn’s attorney, Sabrina Schroff, countered that the sandwich was not a forcible attack, likening it to a child throwing a stuffed animal during a tantrum. She argued that the officer could not have reasonably feared bodily harm, pointing out that the bulletproof vest would protect against a sandwich. “A footlong from Subway could not and certainly did not inflict bodily harm,” Schroff said.
Prosecutors replied, emphasizing that the sandwich was part of a “seven-minute tirade” directed at federal agents.
Following his arrest, Dunn was fired from his position as a paralegal in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Office of International Affairs, according to a department source.
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