Subway sandwich thrower found not guilty in D.C. jury rebuke : NPR
FBI and Border Patrol agents speak with Sean Charles Dunn, after he threw his sandwich at an officer, along the U Street corridor during a federal law enforcement deployment to the nation’s capital August 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Leyden/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Andrew Leyden/Getty Images
Not guilty. That’s the jury’s conclusion Thursday in the case of a man charged with assault for throwing his hoagie at a federal officer in Washington, DC.
The jury’s conclusion came after approximately seven hours of deliberations. The Subway sandwich case has become a symbol of how many people in the nation’s capital feel about the Trump administration’s surge in federal law enforcement in the city.
Bystander video captured Sean Charles Dunn in August calling federal agents racist and fascists. He thought they were about to do an immigration raid on a gay nightclub on Latin Night.
He also threw his Subway sandwich at Gregory Lairmore, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent. Lairmore, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, told jurors the sandwich exploded and smelled of onions and mustard – although he was not injured. Dunn was later arrested by police and fired from his job at the Justice Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington initially attempted to charge Dunn with felony assault. When a grand jury failed to indict him on that charge, the case was downgraded to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting or obstructing a federal officer. Prosecutors said Dunn went too far and people should not be allowed to throw objects at law enforcement.
Dunn argued that he was being singled out because of his criticism of the Trump administration. His lawyers also highlighted the absurdity of the situation, arguing that it was a harmless gesture that caused no harm or injury. Lairmore, who wore a bulletproof vest, admitted during the trial that he received funny gifts from co-workers, including a stuffed sandwich and a patch reading “Felony Footlong.”
“I’m relieved and I look forward to moving on with my life,” Sean Charles Dunn said outside the courthouse Thursday after the jury’s verdict.
