Man charged for throwing sandwich at federal officer was a DOJ employee
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Bondi fires DOJ employee facing felony charge over throwing sandwich at federal agent
Sean Charles Dunn, 37, was an international affairs specialist in the Justice Department’s criminal division. Dunn was arrested on an assault charge after he threw a “sub-style” sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent. A video of Dunn berating a group of federal agents late Sunday went viral online. The incident coincided with Trump’s push to flood the city with National Guard troops and federal officers.“This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote.
A video of Sean Charles Dunn berating a group of federal agents late Sunday went viral online. Dunn was arrested on an assault charge after he threw a “sub-style” sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent, a court filing said.
READ MORE: DC man arrested for hurling sandwich at a federal law enforcement official
Dunn, 37, of Washington, was an international affairs specialist in the Justice Department’s criminal division, according to a department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.
“This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ,” Bondi wrote. “You will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement.”
Sabrina Shroff, an attorney who represented Dunn at his initial appearance in federal court, declined to comment on the allegations against her client after Thursday’s hearing.
A multiagency flood of uniformed federal law enforcement officers had fanned out across the city over the weekend after the White House had announced stepped-up measures to combat crime. That was before President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday that he was taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard.
The Justice Department still employs a former FBI agent who was charged with joining a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol and cheering on rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege, repeatedly yelling “Kill ‘em!” as they attacked police. The former FBI supervisory agent, Jared Lane Wise, is serving as a counselor to Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin Jr., who was a leading figure in Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election.
Around 11 p.m. on Sunday, Dunn approached a group of CBP agents, pointed a finger in an agent’s face and swore at him, calling him a “fascist,” a police affidavit says. An observer’s video captured Dunn throwing a sandwich at the agent’s chest, the affidavit says.
“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted, according to police.
Dunn tried to run away but was apprehended, police said.
The incident coincided with Trump’s push to flood the city with National Guard troops and federal officers. Trump claims crime in the city has reached emergency levels, but city leaders point to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low.
Subway sandwich thrown at federal agent deployed to Washington DC
Man arrested after sandwich thrown at federal agent in Washington DC. Sean Charles Dunn, who had worked in the DOJ Criminal Division, was fired after video of the incident emerged. He is being charged with felony assault. The presence of federal law enforcement agents, as well as the National Guard, has led to widespread anger in the mostly Democratic city. Trump, a Republican, has said the deployment is necessary to fight crime and remove “drugged-out maniacs and homeless people”. Local police data shows violent crime is at a 30-year low in Washington D.C., according to local police data. The incident led to several jokes online, including the comment “assault with a deli weapon” which received more than 1,500 upvotes on Reddit.
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Watch: moment a sandwich is thrown at federal agent in Washington DC
An employee at the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has been arrested for throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal agent deployed to Washington DC as part of President Donald Trump’s vow to crackdown on crime. Sean Charles Dunn, who had worked in the DOJ Criminal Division, was fired after video of the incident emerged. He is being charged with felony assault. The presence of federal law enforcement agents, as well as the National Guard, has led to widespread anger in the mostly Democratic city. Trump, a Republican, has said the deployment is necessary to fight crime and remove “drugged-out maniacs and homeless people”. Local police data shows violent crime is at a 30-year low in Washington DC.
Getty Images Mr Dunn is seen in pink clutching the sandwich he is accused of throwing at an agent moments later
According to charging documents, Mr Dunn allegedly threw a “submarine-style sandwich” at a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer on Sunday. In a video of the incident, which prosecutors cite in their charges, the suspect is heard calling the agents “fascists” and screaming profanities directed at them. “Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city,” he yells before crossing the road. He later returns and is seen hurling the wrapped sandwich into the chest of a uniformed agent, who appears to be wearing a bulletproof vest. He then flees on foot as officers give chase. According to prosecutors, Mr Dunn confessed after he was arrested on Wednesday, telling investigators: “I did it. I threw a sandwich.” US Attorney General Pam Bondi, the highest-ranking law enforcement agent in the US and oversees the DOJ, posted about the incident on social media on Thursday.
Watch: ‘Get off our streets’ – DC residents protest against federal agents
“I just learned that this defendant worked at the Department of Justice — NO LONGER. Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony.” Mr Dunn had been working as a trial attorney for the Office of International Affairs within the DOJ’s Criminal Division, according to CBS news, the BBC’s US partner. US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro said in a video announcing Mr Dunn’s arrest that he “thought it was funny. Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today, because we charged with him with a felony.” “So there, stick your Subway sandwich somewhere else,” she continued. The unusual nature of the incident led to several jokes online, including the comment “assault with a deli weapon” – a gag which received more than 1,500 upvotes on Reddit. A local judge declined to press charges, before a federal judge permitted assault charges to be filed, CBS reports. Mr Dunn is currently free on bail and is facing up to eight years in prison. Officials have not not said whether the officer suffered any injuries in the incident.
Watch: How Trump’s drive to his golf course shaped homeless crackdown in Washington DC
Suspect who admitted to hurling sandwich at DC cops on the street revealed to be a Justice Department employee
Sean Dunn, 37, was arrested after throwing a sandwich at a federal officer in Washington, D.C., and called him a ‘fascist’ On Thursday, it was revealed that he was a Department of Justice employee. Dunn worked as an international affairs specialist in the criminal division of the department. He has been charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and employees of the United States” He faces up to a year in prison if convicted. The incident took place around 11 p.m. on Sunday in a popular nightlife area of the city. The video of the incident went viral after being shared on Instagram under the account @bigap4largin. The Washington Post has contacted Dunn’s attorney and the Department ofJustice for comment. The Associated Press has also contacted Dunn’s attorney for comment and is waiting to hear back from him. The Independent will provide an update on this story as soon as it is known that Dunn is no longer an employee of the DOJ.
A suspect seen in a viral video hurling a sub-style sandwich at a federal law enforcement officer Sunday night has been identified as a Department of Justice employee.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that Sean Dunn had been fired from the department. Court documents filed Wednesday state that Dunn approached officers, including Metro Transit Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, and started yelling.
The incident took place around 11 p.m. on 14th Street NW in Washington, D.C. Dunn allegedly stood within inches of a Customs and Border Protection agent, pointed a finger in his face, and shouted “F*** you! You f****** fascists! Why are you here! I don’t want you in my city!”
This went on for several minutes before he crossed the street and continued to yell. A few minutes later, at about 11.06 p.m., Dunn allegedly approached the CBP agent and threw the sandwich at him, hitting the agent in the chest.
Dunn tried to flee the scene but was detained. As the Metropolitan Police Department processed him, Dunn allegedly told an officer: “I did it. I threw a sandwich.”
open image in gallery Sean Dunn was arrested after throwing a sandwich at a CBP agent on Sunday. On Thursday, it was revealed that he was a Department of Justice employee. ( Getty Images )
He has been charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and employees of the United States.” He faces up to a year in prison if convicted.
The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, said in a video on X on Wednesday that Dunn would be charged with a felony.
open image in gallery Dunn worked as an international affairs specialist in the criminal division of the Department of Justice before his firing. ( Getty Images )
Dunn worked as an international affairs specialist in the Office of International Affairs in the criminal division of the Department of Justice, an official told Bloomberg Law. The office handles prisoner swaps, international extraditions, and other overseas actions. The 37-year-old lives in D.C., a spokesperson for the office of the D.C. U.S. attorney told The Washington Post.
A source at the department told Axios that Dunn was hired in 2022 as a specialist who was still “burrowed in” from the Biden administration.
The Independent has contacted Dunn’s attorney and the Department of Justice for comment.
open image in gallery Dunn was arrested after he threw a sandwich at a federal officer patrolling in Washington, D.C., and called him a ‘fascist,’ police say. ( U.S. District Court for D.C. )
“If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you,” Bondi said on X, adding that Dunn was “no longer” a Department of Justice employee. “Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony.”
“This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ,” she added. “You will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement.”
In a video posted on X, Pirro said Dunn “thought it was funny.”
“Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today, because we charged him with a felony assault on a police officer, and we’re gonna back the police to the hilt, so there!” she added. “Stick your Subway sandwich somewhere else.”
open image in gallery Dunn approached officers and yelled ‘obscenities,’ authorities said in a court filing. ( Getty Images )
The footage of the incident, which took place in a popular nightlife area of D.C., quickly went viral after being shared on Instagram under the account @bigap4l.
Cortez Dargin filmed the video, telling The Post that he was leaving a nightclub with his friends when they heard Dunn yelling.
“I was like, ‘Let me record this guy, because he’s going crazy right now,’” he told the paper.
In the footage, Dunn can be seen chanting “shame” before turning away from the officers and walking away, returning a short time later to where the officers were before he hurled the sandwich at one of them.
CBP shared the video on X, writing, “Next time you’re hangry, just eat the sandwich.”
The incident took place as President Donald Trump flooded the nation’s capital with federal law enforcement agents and National Guard troops. While Trump claims that Washington is a city plagued by crime, city officials note that statistics show that violent crime is at its lowest point in three decades.
On Monday, Trump announced that he was placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying the National Guard to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse.”
National Guard troops began patrolling the streets of Washington Tuesday night, with a total of about 800 troops being deployed.
Alleged DC sandwich-thrower worked at justice department, attorney general says
The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, announced on Thursday that the man facing a felony assault charge for allegedly throwing a sandwich at a federal law enforcement officer in Washington DC worked at the Department of Justice. The man, identified in court documents as 37-year-old Sean Charles Dunn, has since been fired. The incident was captured on video, which has since gone viral. In the footage, a man can be seen yelling “You see these fascists? Fuck you!” at a group of officers patrolling the area before throwing a wrapped sub-style sandwich at one of them. Authorities say that Dunn confessed to the incident and told the officers, “I did it. I threw a sandwich,” according to court documents.
In a statement posted on social media, Bondi said that the man, identified in court documents as 37-year-old Sean Charles Dunn, has since been fired.
“If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you. I just learned that this defendant worked at the Department of Justice – NO LONGER. Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony,” Bondi wrote.
“This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ. You will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement.”
Dunn served as an international affairs specialist in the criminal division of the office of international affairs at the Department of Justice, according to CNN.
On Wednesday night, the FBI director, Kash Patel, said that Dunn had been charged with felony assault on a federal officer.
In court documents, authorities say that the incident occurred on Sunday night on 14th Street in north-west DC. They say that Dunn approached and confronted a group of US Customs and Border Protection officers who were patrolling the area.
Authorities claim that Dunn pointed his finger in an officer’s face and yelled, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city,” before “winding his arm back and forcefully throwing sub-style sandwich” at an officer.
Authorities said that Dunn then attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended.
During processing, authorities say that Dunn confessed to the incident and told the officers, “I did it. I threw a sandwich,” according to court documents.
The incident was captured on video, which has since gone viral. In the footage, a man can be seen yelling “You see these fascists? Fuck you!” and “Shame!” at a group of officers patrolling the area before throwing a wrapped sub-style sandwich at one of them. He is then chased by the officers.
The US attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, who was recently confirmed to the position, announced the charges against Dunn on Wednesday.
“This guy thought it was funny – well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today, because we charged him with a felony,” the former Fox News host said.
The incident came several days after Donald Trump ordered federal officers to start sweeping the streets of Washington DC, in what the White House said was part of an effort to crack down on violent crime, despite statistics showing that the city’s violent crime rate hit a 30-year low in 2024.
On Monday, one day after the sandwich incident, Trump announced that he was deploying the national guard in Washington DC and seizing control of the city’s police force.
National guard troops began deploying across the city on Tuesday night.
Justice Department lawyer charged & fired after throwing Subway sandwich at federal law enforcement officer
Sean Charles Dunn, 37, was a lawyer in the DOJ’s international affairs office. He allegedly threw a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent during a federal law enforcement special deployment in Washington, D.C. The sandwich-throwing incident came less than 24 hours before President Donald Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department. Dunn was arrested Sunday on the U Street corridor in Northwest Washington, a neighborhood celebrated for its Black cultural legacy and LGBTQ-friendly nightlife. The area has also become a flashpoint since Trump’s early-August decision to flood the streets with federal agents under the banner of a “crime crackdown” despite police data showing violent crime at its lowest point in three decades.
Sean Charles Dunn, 37, who lists his experience as a DOJ trial attorney on LinkedIn, worked in the international affairs office of the department’s criminal division, a DOJ source confirmed. He was arrested Sunday on the U Street corridor in Northwest Washington, a neighborhood celebrated for its Black cultural legacy and LGBTQ-friendly nightlife. The area has also become a flashpoint since Trump’s early-August decision to flood D.C. streets with federal agents under the banner of a “crime crackdown,” despite Justice Department and Metropolitan Police data showing violent crime at its lowest point in three decades.
According to court filings, Dunn confronted U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent Gregory Lairmore around 11 p.m., standing “within inches” of the agent’s face and shouting, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!”
The incident was captured in an Instagram video that quickly went viral online. The footage shows Dunn holding a footlong Subway sandwich in one hand while gesturing with the other, continuing to shout at the officers. After stepping back briefly, he winds his arm behind him and throws the sandwich at Lairmore, striking him in the chest. The wrapped sandwich bounces off the agent’s flak vest before Dunn turns and sprints across the street. Several officers give chase as bystanders observe.
Dunn was apprehended moments later. While being processed at the Metropolitan Police Department’s Third District, he allegedly told an officer, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi, a key ally in Trump’s Justice Department reshaping, announced Dunn’s firing Thursday on X. “If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you,” she wrote. She said that she had just discovered that he was a DOJ employee. “Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony. This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, who has defended Trump’s unprecedented police takeover, previously wrote on X, “This guy thought it was funny. Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today.”
For residents of U Street and across D.C., where nearly 15 percent of adults identify as LGBTQ+, the surge of federal power into local streets has become a vivid reminder of how quickly the city’s character and freedoms can be tested.
The sandwich-throwing incident came less than 24 hours before Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department for 30 days, a move condemned by civil rights advocates and Democratic leaders as authoritarian.
“Dunn had his first appearance today before federal Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey and was released on his own recognizance,” the DOJ said in a press release Thursday afternoon.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/14/dc-sandwich-arrest-trump-00509682