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NEED TO KNOW
- Sean Dunn, a now-terminated Justice Department employee, was arrested by 20 officers at his home and charged with felony assault after allegedly throwing a sandwich at a federal agent
- Viral video footage of the incident shows a man throwing a sandwich at an officer’s chest before turning around and sprinting away
- Local pushback against heightened law enforcement in Washington began even before Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to D.C. and federalized the city police on Aug. 11
A Justice Department employee now faces a felony charge after hurling a sandwich at a federal officer in Washington, D.C.
D.C. resident Sean Dunn has been charged with felony assault after he approached a federal agent on Sunday, Aug. 10, and threw a Subway sandwich, CBS affiliate WUSA 9 reported.
The incident came amid heightened law enforcement presence in the capital city at the request of President Donald Trump.
A viral video capturing the incident shows Dunn approach one agent and appear to yell at him before throwing the sandwich at the officer’s chest. A handful of officers in the vicinity then promptly start chasing Dunn, who turns around and begins sprinting away. Dunn was ultimately detained on Sunday night and released with no charges.
Despite his earlier release, Dunn learned on Wednesday that a warrant was out for his arrest, according to CNN. His attorney claims that he didn’t have time to turn himself in for the new felony charge before 20 officers were sent to his home to re-arrest him.
Andrew Leyden/Getty
According to court records obtained by the outlet and The New York Times, Dunn admitted while being processed, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.”
His felony charge could result in up to eight years in prison, though he was freed from custody without needing to post bail on Thursday.
According to a statement from Attorney General Pam Bondi, Dunn’s employment at the Justice Department was terminated this week.
Dunn’s arrest and release comes amid the Trump administration’s takeover of Washington’s law enforcement.
On Monday, Aug. 11, after several days with heightened security in the city, Trump ordered in the National Guard and federalized the Metropolitan Police Department.
The aggressive move was deemed by Trump as a response to the “public safety emergency” in D.C., though local data supports evidence of a significant decrease in both violent and non-violent crime.
