Sean Charles Dunn, 42, formerly of the Department of Justice, is additionally charged with two counts of assault. On August 10, he allegedly threw a Subway sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in Washington, D.C. The violent altercation caught on camera drew national outrage. This was particularly impactful considering the severe security measures then-President Donald Trump had put in place throughout the nation’s capital.
After the fact, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. pursued felony assault charges against Dunn. Unbelievably, though, prosecutors could not get the grand jury to return an indictment. This result not only begs the question of what happened in this case, but what legal standards are needed to bring such charges. Dunn’s attorney, Sabrina Shroff, did not respond to requests for comment on the developing story.
The sandwich-throwing incident took place during a particularly tense time in the nation’s capital. In effect, President Trump was calling on the public to applaud his efforts to combat what he saw as out-of-control crime in the Big Apple. He responded in a bold and unequivocally positive manner to those concerns. Exercising a seldom-used legal authority, he abruptly took over the D.C. police force. He then ordered the deployment of 800 National Guard members. This shift is intended to improve security and increase the number of federal agents patrolling the capital.
On August 21, 2025, a pedestrian noticed posters in the manner of Banksy. Those grabby graphics played up a protester hurling a hoagie, channeling the public’s rage over Dunn’s behavior—and the broader concerns with law enforcement and crime in D.C. The unfolding tragedy has reopened debates over the effects of government power and police enforcement on public safety in America’s cities.