What was once a door is now covered in a tarp to protect the lobby from inclement weather in the Mott Haven section.
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Just after 11 p.m. Monday, a woman drove her car clear into the front of the Ramada by Wyndham on Gerard Avenue, through the lobby and almost crashing into the elevator.
Apparently, this was the end of an ongoing dispute between the resident and the homeless shelter, where at points police had previously been called.
It boiled over when the woman left and then returned, crashing her car through the front of the hotel that is currently serving as a homeless shelter.
She fled on foot and police continue to search for her.
But in the process, three people suffered minor injuries.
"I'm hearing people screaming. I don't know what's going on. I heard a big boom, and everybody screaming. I smell gas. I have asthma. So, I go downstairs on the elevator. I get out the elevator, and she's driving towards me. I backed up like oh my God. I almost had a heart attack," a witness said.
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The hotel was not evacuated and the Buildings Department responded to check out the structure.
This is the latest in the saga of the city working to evict thousands of homeless temporarily housed in hotels during the pandemic.
That effort was recently stalled after a motion was filed by the Legal Aid Society, saying the evictions violated the rights of the people in the shelter.
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