It’s often said that a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich, but federal prosecutors in DC were reportedly unable to secure an indictment against a man accused of throwing a sub at a cop at 14th and U streets, Northwest. The prosecutors’ failure, the New York Times reports, amounts to a “sharp rebuke by ordinary citizens against the team of prosecutors who are dealing with the fallout from President Trump’s move to send National Guard troops and federal agents into the city on patrol.”
The charges were filed against Sean Dunn, the former Department of Justice paralegal accused of winging a hoagie at Customs and Border Protection Agent Gregory Lairmore after authorities said he shouted, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Video of the incident went viral, and images that recall Dunn’s toss have surfaced all over town. In Anacostia, someone paired a “sandwich guy” poster with an image of a grinder smacking against the head of President Trump’s aide Stephen Miller.
Spotted in Anacostia pic.twitter.com/Tmy56gD4A2
— Washingtonian Problems (@WashProbs) August 26, 2025
Dunn’s non-indictment (he’s due in court next Thursday for a preliminary hearing) follows another embarrassment for the office of US Attorney Jeanine Pirro during Trump’s law-enforcement surge in DC. A federal grand jury declined three times to indict DC resident Sydney Reid on charges that she assaulted an FBI agent, the Washington Post reports, and Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui has criticized several cases that have come before him, calling a search that led to an illegal firearms charge “without a doubt, the most illegal search I’ve seen in my life.” Pirro’s office has moved to dismiss the case.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
