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 how they have handled criminal cases resulting from the law enforcement surge.
The @FBI arrested this individual last night.
He has been charged with felony assault on a federal officer. pic.twitter.com/GY2DBr9rUP
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 14, 2025
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 didn’t have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent.
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Dunn from his job at the U.S. Department of Justice after the incident.
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