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A jury in Washington, D.C. has acquitted Sean Dunn, the man who was accused of assaulting a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer by throwing a “sub-style sandwich” at him.
The case was handled by the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host and staunch ally of President Donald Trump. Her office had originally sought to have Dunn charged with felony assault, but after a federal grand jury rejected that idea, prosecutors aimed to charge him with a misdemeanor.
Although typically a rare occurrence, several cases in Washington D.C. have been rejected by grand juries, seen as being overreaches on the part of Trump’s Justice Department.
Dunn, who became known as the “D.C. Sandwich Guy,” became somewhat of a local folk hero following news of the sandwich throw. Several memes of the incident appeared online, and graffiti depicting him throwing the sub appeared around D.C.
Dunn has admitted to throwing the sandwich, with his lawyers arguing it was a protest gesture during a demonstration against President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown in D.C. in early August. The prosecution had reportedly embellished the extent to which Dunn’s actions affected the CBP agent, Gregory Lairmore, claiming that the hoagie was thrown violently, at “point-blank range.”
Lairmore testified that the sandwich had “exploded all over my uniform” and that he had “mustard and condiments” on him, including “an onion hanging from my radio antenna” following the incident — a testimony that was lambasted on social media shortly after it became public.
Following the sandwich toss, federal agents chased Dunn through the streets and temporarily detained him. He was released, but arrested at his home later on.
The depiction of events surrounding the sandwich throw was challenged during the trial — pictures of the offending sandwich after the incident occurred showed that it was still in its wrapper, on the ground, after it hit Lairmore’s bulletproof vest.
Dunn’s defense lawyer also noted that Lairmore and his colleagues later joked about the event, with his coworkers buying him gag gifts like a plush toy sandwich, demonstrating that the incident wasn’t a major event in the officer’s life, as the prosecution had depicted.
“They’re joking about it with each other, and they’re joking about it with Agent Lairmore. Why? Because they think it’s funny,” defense attorney Sabrina Shroff said.
After several hours of deliberation, the jury came to the conclusion that Dunn had not committed a criminal offense. In response to the outcome of the case, Dunn relished the fact that he was acquitted.
“I’m relieved, and I’m looking forward to moving on with my life,” Dunn said. “I am so happy that justice prevails, in spite of everything happening.”
Polling in the nation’s capital showed overwhelming opposition to President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city, with one survey showing that 79 percent of D.C. residents were opposed to the action. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month shows that Americans are also opposed to militarization of U.S. cities more broadly, with nearly 3 in 5 respondents (58 percent) saying troops should only be sent to areas that face an external threat.
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