Sean Dunn, who will forever be known as Sandwich Guy, was found not guilty of misdemeanor assault by a jury in federal court in DC Thursday.
It was never in doubt that Dunn threw a sandwich at a federal officer at 14th and U streets in August, shouting, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” according to a federal indictment. It’s also undeniable that Dunn’s airborne-footlong protest, video of which went viral, became an unlikely symbol of local resistance to the Trump administration during its crackdown on DC this summer, precisely because of the disconnect between the seriousness of the incident and the government’s response.
Despite Dunn’s offer to surrender, the administration sent armed troops to his apartment and filmed his arrest. The office of US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro charged him with felony assault; he lost his job as a paralegal at the Department of Justice, with US Attorney General Pam Bondi calling him “an example of the Deep State.” Meanwhile, stylized, Bansky-style images of a man preparing to wing a hoagie appeared all over DC. Sandwich Guy Halloween costumes were popular this season; people dressed skeletons like Dunn.
Pirro’s office was unable to get a grand jury to OK felony charges against Dunn, though, and proceeded with misdemeanor charges anyway. Despite that embarrassment, the government agreed to Dunn’s attorney’s request for a jury trial in the matter. The trial, which began this week, was suitably absurd, with Customs and Border Patrol Agent Gregory Lairmore, who received the unwanted delivery of Dunn’s dinner, testifying that the sandwich “kind of exploded all over my uniform”—despite photos that showed it still in its wrapper on the ground afterward, prompting jokes like “If the sandwich don’t split, you must acquit.” On Thursday, a DC jury apparently agreed with that formulation.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
