The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it had fired an employee who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent on the streets of Washington, D.C., earlier this week. Identified as Sean Charles Dunn, who worked for the DOJ’s Criminal Division, the perpetrator has now been federally charged with felony assault.
A video of the incident, which occurred Sunday night in Washington’s Northwest section, showed Dunn speaking to a group of federal agents on a D.C. sidewalk while holding a Subway sandwich. Visibly agitated, he then threw the sandwich into the chest of the nearest agent to him, a member of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Dunn sprinted away and was chased by multiple agents.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Thursday that Dunn was arrested the previous night and has been charged with felony assault on a federal officer. He posted the video of the incident along with his announcement.
A D.C. police detective has said in a statement that Dunn had begun shouting and pointing his finger at CBP Agent Gregory Lairmore while standing within inches of him. Dunn allegedly said to the agents, “F*** you! You f***ing fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!”
Dunn then crossed the street while “continuing to yell obscenities” at the agents, reportedly shouting, “Shame! Shame!” He then approached CBP Agent Lairmore once again and “forcefully” threw the sandwich toward his chest. He was apprehended by the agents after trying to flee the scene.
While being processed by the Metropolitan Police Department, Dunn admitted to his actions, according to the detective. “I did it. I threw a sandwich,” he said.
In an X post on Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that Dunn had been an employee of the Department of Justice. “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,” she 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,” Bondi continued.
According to his lawyer, Dunn had worked as a paralegal at the Office of International Affairs within the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division, which enforces federal criminal laws.
This sandwich-throwing incident occurred the night prior to President Trump’s announcement that he would temporarily take control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and mobilize D.C. National Guard troops, as well as federal agents from multiple agencies, to patrol the city’s streets and combat crime.
The federal case against Dunn will be prosecuted by the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, and processed by the U.S. District Court in Washington. “He thought it was funny,” Pirro said of Dunn in a video she posted to X. “Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today, because we charged with him with a felony.”
Under federal law, Dunn faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison if he is convicted of assaulting a federal officer. If the court determines that the assault involved “‘physical contact” or the intent to commit another felony, he may face up to eight years in prison.