A man arrested for assaulting federal agents in Washington by throwing a sandwich was revealed to be a Justice Department employee and has since been dismissed from his position.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday that a man arrested for assaulting a federal agent in Washington by throwing a sandwich had been employed by the Department of Justice.
The suspect, Sean Charles Dunn, 37, previously assisted attorneys in international cases within the department’s criminal division.
Following the incident, he was immediately dismissed.
The assault occurred earlier this week as federal agents and National Guard troops were deployed to Washington at the direction of President
Donald Trump.
The president declared a thirty-day state of emergency, transferring temporary authority from the local police to federal forces, citing a need to combat what he called a 'crime wave.' The move has sparked outrage in the heavily Democratic city, particularly as data indicates a decline in violent crime.
On Sunday evening, Dunn was seen near a Subway restaurant taunting federal Customs and Border Protection agents.
He shouted at them, calling them 'fascists' and stating, 'I don’t want you in my city.' He then threw a sandwich at one agent’s chest before fleeing.
He was apprehended after a brief chase.
“If you assault law enforcement, we will pursue you,” Bondi stated.
“I learned that the defendant worked at the Department of Justice.
No longer.
He has not only been dismissed, but is also facing criminal charges.
This is an example of the 'deep state' we have been confronting for the past seven months as we work to change the direction of the department.
You will not serve in this administration if you do not respect our government and law enforcement.”
President Trump’s deployment included 800 National Guard troops and 500 federal agents, despite the fact that last year Washington recorded its lowest rate of violent crime in thirty years.
Democrats have criticized the move as a publicity stunt and expressed concern that Trump may similarly deploy federal forces to other Democrat-led cities.
Earlier this year, Trump sent 5,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids, and he has threatened to send troops to New York and Chicago as well.
Critics of the administration have described the federal deployment as an infringement on Washington’s local autonomy and a distraction from Trump’s political controversies, including the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a member of the Democratic Party, called the federal intervention 'troubling and unprecedented.'