A Washington, D.C., man accused of pummeling a federal agent with a sub-style sandwich has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.
According to The Hill, Sean Charles Dunn, 37, appeared in federal court on Wednesday afternoon to enter his plea.
Standing before U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols with his hands behind his back, Dunn bent to say "not guilty" into the microphone.
The trial is set to begin with jury selection on Nov. 3, according to the outlet.
Dunn initially faced a felony assault charge, but it was reduced to a misdemeanor last month after prosecutors failed to convince a grand jury to return a more serious felony indictment.
He's accused of throwing a sub sandwich at Customs and Border Protection agent Gregory Lairmore on Aug. 10, before attempting to flee the scene on foot. He was quickly chased down by several agents and arrested.
In video that quickly went viral online, Dunn could be seen shouting expletives inches from Lairmore's face near the corner of 14th and U streets, which is a popular nightlife area of D.C.
According to the criminal complaint, he shouted, "F*** you! You f***ing fascists! Why are you here? I don't want you in my city!"
Backlash from federal officials was swift.
When announcing the initial felony charge against Dunn, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said he "thought it was funny."
"Well, he doesn't think it's funny today because we charged him with a felony — assault on a police officer," she said in a video posted on X. "And we're going to back the police to the hilt. So there, stick your Subway sandwich somewhere else!"
Pirro's office is prosecuting the case.
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Dunn upon learning he was a Justice Department employee, saying he was an example of the "deep state" the Trump administration has been up against since taking office.
"You will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement," Bondi wrote on X at the time.
Dunn's plea coincided with the one-month mark of President Donald Trump's D.C. crime crackdown.
The federalization of the D.C. police department is scheduled to expire on Wednesday, but The Hill reported that National Guard troops from Washington and eight Republican-led states continued to patrol the nation's capital, along with additional federal law enforcement agents.
Bondi said Wednesday that 2,310 arrests have been made in D.C. since the federal takeover.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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