WASHINGTON — A federal jury on Wednesday began deliberating a verdict in the case against a man dubbed “sandwich guy” after he tossed a Subway footlong at a federal officer who was patrolling city streets on President Donald Trump's orders.

Sean Dunn, a former Justice Department paralegal, faces a single misdemeanor count after a federal grand jury refused to indict him on the felony charges sought by the Trump administration. The charge stems from an incident in August when Dunn, wearing a pink shirt, confronted officers in the nightlife area at 14th and U St. NW, eventually tossing a salami sub at a federal officer’s ballistic vest.

“This case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is about a sandwich,” defense attorney Sabrina Shroff told members of the jury during closing arguments on Wednesday afternoon.

Shroff said that the Border Patrol Officer Greg Lairmore gave “very questionable testimony” when he claimed that the sandwich "exploded all over" his chest and claimed he could smell the mustard and onions. A photo shows that the sandwich was still in its wrapper on the ground after it hit Lairmore in his bulletproof vest.

A sandwich, Shroff said, cannot be a weapon hurled with force anywhere near enough to justify federal charges, and a bulletproof vest, she said, “is definitely going to keep you safe from a sandwich thrown at you.”....

“The sandwich did not impede Officer Lairmore’s duties that night,” Shroff said. “A footlong from Subway could not and certainly did not inflict bodily harm."