After throwing a sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent during a protest in Washington, D.C., Sean Charles Dunn, a former employee of the U.S. Justice Department, was found not guilty by a federal jury. On August 10, with a more intense police presence in the city, the incident took place.
Dunn was charged with criminal assault at first, but prosecutors pursued a misdemeanor after a grand jury refused to indict on the felony count. The prosecution claimed the sandwich-throwing constituted an attack on a federal officer, while the defense contended it was an act of political speech during the trial.
After the verdict, Dunn, who had earlier been dismissed from his position at the DOJ due to the event, told the media that he was “relieved” and “looking forward to moving on.” Tensions over protest, the federal presence, and the boundaries of free speech are highlighted by the case, which attracted national attention and went viral.