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WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) – A man who hurled a sandwich at a federal agent in a fit of fury over President Donald Trump\u2019s law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., was cleared on Thursday of a misdemeanor assault charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sean Dunn, a former U.S. Justice Department staffer, was found not guilty of assaulting or impeding a federal officer after a three-day trial<\/u><\/a> in Washington federal court that highlighted tensions in the capital over Trump\u2019s deployment of law enforcement agents and the National Guard to curb crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything happening,” Dunn told reporters outside the courthouse. “That night I believe I was protecting the rights of immigrants.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dunn was captured on a widely shared video berating officers as \u201cfascists\u201d before throwing a sub-style sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on duty in a nightlife neighborhood on August 10. The 23-year veteran agent, Gregory Lairmore, testified during the trial that the incident generated a whiff of mustard and left onions hanging from the antenna of his police radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The verdict was the latest defeat for Trump’s Justice Department related to its crackdown in Washington. Prosecutors initially sought felony charges against Dunn, but downgraded the case to a misdemeanor after a grand jury declined to return<\/u><\/a> an indictment. In several other cases<\/u><\/a>, grand juries refused to indict, a highly unusual rebuke to prosecutors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs always, we accept a jury\u2019s verdict; that is the system within which we function. However, law enforcement should never be subjected to assault, no matter how \u2018minor,'” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington and a Trump ally, said in a statement. “Even children know when they are angry, they are not allowed to throw objects at one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lawyer for Dunn, Sabrina Shroff, argued the sandwich throw was a harmless gesture of frustration and was not capable of injuring agents clad in ballistic vests. Shroff highlighted gag gifts the agent received from colleagues after the incident, including a patch reading \u201cFelony Footlong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe all know this was not a weapon thrown with force,\u201d Shroff said during closing arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prosecutors argued that Dunn committed a crime by interfering with law enforcement, pointing to body-worn camera footage in which Dunn can be heard saying he wanted to draw officers away from their posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prosecutor Michael DiLorenzo told the jury that Dunn\u2019s free speech rights did not allow him to \u201cstrike another person \u2013 even with a sandwich.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s where the defendant crossed the line,\u201d DiLorenzo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lairmore, one of only two witnesses called, testified that officers perceived a potential threat from an agitated Dunn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dunn, who worked on international cases<\/u><\/a> as a Justice Department staffer, became an unlikely symbol of resistance and was condemned by senior Trump officials in the days after the incident. The White House posted a video on social media of heavily armed agents taking him into custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump deployed teams of federal agents to patrol Washington beginning in August, decrying what he portrayed as a crime crisis in the city. The surge led to an initial decline<\/u><\/a> in some types of crime, but also spurred a backlash among some residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n