It was a moment that captured both the surreal and the serious in the nation’s capital: a man, a sandwich, and a federal agent at the center of a political storm. On the night of August 10, 2025, Sean Charles Dunn, a 37-year-old Washington, D.C. resident, allegedly hurled a sub-style sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent as the officer patrolled the U Street corridor with Metro Transit Police. The incident, quickly immortalized in a viral video posted to social media, has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over federal law enforcement’s role in D.C. and the city’s crime narrative.
According to court documents reviewed by multiple outlets, including ABC News and Newsweek, Dunn approached the CBP agent late Sunday night, shouting a string of obscenities. "F--- you! You f------ fascists! Why are you here? I don't want you in my city!" he yelled, his words echoing the frustration of some residents over the recent influx of federal officers. After several minutes of heated confrontation, Dunn allegedly wound up and threw his sandwich, striking the agent squarely in the chest.
Witnesses, some of whom could be heard giggling in the background of the now-viral Instagram video, watched as Dunn attempted to flee the scene. But his escape was short-lived. Federal officers chased him down, apprehended him, and brought him to the police station for processing. There, Dunn reportedly admitted his actions, telling an officer, "I did it. I threw a sandwich." The video evidence and his confession left little room for doubt about the sequence of events.
Prosecutors wasted no time responding. On August 13, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro condemned the act in a strongly worded statement posted to X, formerly Twitter. "The police are not out there to get pushed around or beat up," Pirro declared. "He thought it was funny. Well, he doesn't think it's funny today because we charged him with a felony: Assault on a police officer. So there, stick your Subway sandwich somewhere else!" Pirro’s comments signaled a no-nonsense approach to assaults on law enforcement, even when the weapon in question is a deli sandwich.
Dunn now faces a felony federal assault charge, a crime that could carry up to a year in prison if convicted. As of August 13, court records showed no attorney listed for his defense, and he had not yet entered a plea. The case has quickly become symbolic of the broader tensions simmering in Washington, where the presence of federal law enforcement has become a contentious issue in recent weeks.
The sandwich-throwing incident occurred just days after President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new effort to tackle crime in the capital. On August 11, Trump invoked emergency powers under Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, temporarily placing the Metropolitan Police Department under federal oversight for 30 days and deploying roughly 800 National Guard troops to the city. The move, as reported by Fox News and Newsweek, brought hundreds of federal agents from agencies like the FBI, DEA, U.S. Capitol Police, and ATF onto D.C. streets, joining local police in a campaign the White House dubbed a “federal security blitz.”
The White House has touted the results of this surge, claiming that hundreds of additional federal agents have already made more than 100 arrests. According to administration officials, these arrests include 33 for alleged gun crimes, 23 for immigration violations, 10 on outstanding warrants, and seven for drug-related offenses. On August 12, FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted that the first day of federalization alone saw 23 arrests, ranging from homicide and drunken driving to fare evasion and gun crimes.
President Trump has been unapologetic about the heavy-handed approach. Speaking to reporters on August 13, he insisted, "Fighting crime is a good thing... Instead of saying 'He's a dictator,' they should say, 'We're going to join him and make Washington safe.'" On Truth Social, Trump painted a dire picture of the city: "It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World. It will soon be one of the safest!!!"
Yet, the numbers tell a more complicated story. According to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, violent crime in Washington reached a 30-year low in 2024 and has dropped another 26% so far in 2025. Mayor Muriel Bowser, speaking to MSNBC and reporters, acknowledged a crime spike in 2023 but credited recent improvements to cooperation among the community, police, prosecutors, and, in fact, the federal government. "What I'm focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have … to make sure that the men and women who are coming from federal law enforcement are being well used, and if there are National Guard here, they're being well used," Bowser said.
Not everyone is convinced the federal crackdown is necessary or helpful. District Council member Brooke Pinto, who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, voiced her concerns to ABC News: "It paints a picture of a city that is not my own and is not the experience of the vast majority of District residents and visitors." Critics have called the federal surge an "embarrassing distraction," arguing that the city’s improving safety metrics undermine the administration’s justification for intervention.
Meanwhile, President Trump has indicated he wants to go even further. On August 13, he announced plans to submit a “crime bill” to Congress that would extend federal control of the D.C. police beyond the current 30-day period. However, with Democrats criticizing the move and holding key votes in Congress, the effort is widely expected to face stiff opposition and is unlikely to pass.
The sandwich incident, while minor in the grand scheme, has become a potent symbol of the friction between federal authority and local autonomy in Washington. On one side are officials like Pirro and Trump, determined to project strength and order. On the other are local leaders and residents who see the surge as an overreach, especially given the city’s improving crime statistics. The viral video, with its mix of humor and outrage, has only amplified the debate.
For now, the National Guard deployment is set to last until at least September 25, unless troops are released earlier. As the city adjusts to its new, more heavily policed reality, the case of Sean Charles Dunn and his ill-fated sandwich remains a vivid, if unusual, reminder of the tensions playing out on Washington’s streets.
