A man accused of throwing a sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor assault.
Sean Charles Dunn was seen on video last month confronting a group of law enforcement officers just days after President Trump announced his administration would temporarily take control of the city’s municipal police force.
Sean Charles Dunn, who was later arrested, interacts with Border Patrol and FBI agents along the U Street corridor on August 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
The 37-year-old D.C. resident was also seen throwing a sub-style sandwich at a CBP officer’s chest in the video, which quickly went viral and turned the “hero with a hero” into a symbol of anti-Trump resistance.
Dunn, who worked as an international affairs specialist in the Justice Department’s criminal division, was fired after the incident.
Dunn initially faced a felony assault charge, but after a grand jury declined to indict, prosecutors filed a misdemeanor assault charge.
On Wednesday, he appeared in federal court in D.C. and pleaded not guilty before U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols.
He appeared “largely stoic” during the 10-minute hearing, according to NBC News.
FBI and Border Patrol officers arrest Sean Charles Dunn, after he assaulted law enforcement with a sandwich, along the U Street corridor during a federal law enforcement deployment to the nation's capital on August 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. (Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
Nichols set the trial to start on Nov. 3, beginning with jury selection.
Dunn left the courtroom without speaking to reporters. His attorney, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment.
With News Wire Services