Photo by Maryland Route 5.

A former ANC Commissioner for the Dupont Circle neighborhood was found guilty in an attack on a homeless man last summer.

Robert “Leo” Dwyer stormed an area at 17th and Corcoran Streets NW where homeless men were sleeping at 3 a.m. last July. Dwyer started throwing their bedding and possessions in the street and nearby trash bins, “while the victim and other homeless men looked on in disbelief,” prosecutors said.

Dwyer then sprayed the victim multiple times with a cleaning solution while using racial slurs and profanities about homeless people “dirtying up the streets.” He told a bystander that he “hate[d] these people sleeping here.”

An eyewitness identified him as the ANC Commissioner for the 2B zoning commission. After the incident, he withdrew his candidacy for re-election.

A judge found Dwyer guilty of simple assault in a two-day bench trial. Because the victim was targeted for being homeless, the charge was upgraded to a hate crime.

“This prosecution vindicates the principle that everyone in our community deserves the protection of the law. We will not tolerate this reprehensible behavior in the District of Columbia,” Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. said.

Dwyer faces up to 270 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,500.