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Restaurant owner drove car into men at Brooklyn migrant shelter, prosecutors say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 12, 2023
Modified Sep 12, 2023
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Brittany Kriegstein/Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 12, 2023
Modified Sep 12, 2023
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A Brooklyn restaurant owner drove his car into two men early Sunday morning as they sat outside a migrant shelter, according to a criminal complaint charging him with attempted murder.
Hamzeh Alwawi, 42, got into an argument outside the migrant shelter on Hall Street in Clinton Hill around 2:50 a.m., police say. Alwawi then got into his 2021 Lexus and plowed into two men, injuring them both, according to the complaint. He fled the scene and was arrested nearby 10 minutes later, authorities said.
Both victims were back at the shelter recovering Monday morning. Neither had any connection to Alwawi prior to the attack, migrants at the shelter told Gothamist.
Hamzeh Alwawi
Via Facebook
Witnesses at the shelter said Alwawi was angry that a man who often delivered food from his nearby restaurant, BurgerIM, swiped some meals earlier that evening. A restaurant employee separately gave Gothamist the same account.
A police spokesperson said the dispute preceding the attack had to do with stolen food, but didn't provide other details.
Records showed Alwawi posted $30,000 bond after being held on Rikers Island and was released Monday. Police said he had no prior arrests. Calls to his attorney were not returned.
One of the men injured in the attack, Yoandry Lozano Bracho, 28, said he believes the driver wanted to "pulverize" migrants in front of the shelter.
Lozano Bracho, a Venezuelan migrant, spoke to Gothamist Monday morning, laying on his back in front of the shelter with his swollen foot wrapped in a bandage, elevated on a crutch. The men’s shelter has capacity for 2,000 people, making it one of the largest facilities housing migrants in the city.
Yoandry Lozano Bracho's said tendons in his foot were damaged in the attack.
Brittany Kriegstein
He recalled sitting outside the shelter early Sunday listening to music “like always” when Alwawi arrived with a metal pipe, yelling about migrants. Someone managed to wrest the pipe away from Alwawi, but that’s when the suspect got in his car, Lozano Bracho said.
“I went to go over and ask him why he was doing this, and he got into his car, pointed at me, and drove his car on top of me,” Lozano Bracho said. He added he did not know Alwawi and hadn’t delivered food from his business.
Alwawi also struck a second man, who suffered “bleeding and abrasions about the back and arm,” according to the complaint. Gothamist was unable to reach that victim.
Shelter resident Michael Alcivar, 24, said he witnessed the attack.
“I don't know what problem he had [at the restaurant] with an immigrant, but because he knew this was a [migrant] shelter, he came here,” Alcivar recounted.
“He came here and started talking bad about all immigrants…he came back with his car to run people over.”
BurgerIM employee Timur Eshankulov recalled Alwawi becoming frustrated Sunday after a DoorDash delivery man stole two orders. He said such thefts were a weekly occurrence.
Eshankulov, 27, said Alwawi went to the migrant shelter to ask “why you steal?”
When Alwawi returned from the shelter only a few blocks away, he frantically urged Eshankulov to lock up the eatery, the worker said.
More than a dozen migrants were chasing him, Eshankulov said.
The Burger IM restaurant near the men's shelter, which an employee said is owned by Hamzeh Alwawi.
Brittany Kriegstein
Soon, an angry crowd gathered outside. Police showed up and arrested Alwawi, Eshankulov said. A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed Alwawi was taken into custody at the intersection by the restaurant.
“Hamzeh [has] no problems. He’s a good guy,” Eshankulov said.
In recent weeks, there has been a dramatic escalation in rhetoric regarding the migrant crisis and the city's response. Last week, Mayor Eric Adams sparked controversy when he said the weekly influx of migrants would “destroy New York City.” Protesters in Queens and Staten Island have angrily called for the more than 100,000 new arrivals since last year to be kicked out of the country.
Lozano Bracho said he spent almost 12 hours in the hospital receiving treatment for tendon damage in his foot. He fled Venezuela a month and a half ago, hoping to work as a carpenter in the U.S. and send money to his wife and two young daughters back home.
“The way here was really hard,” Lozano Bracho said. “This [country] was supposed to be safer, but I never imagined my life would be in the hands of this driver, this American who was about to drive over me to kill me.”
Bahar Ostadan contributed reporting.
This story has been updated to reflect that Alwawi was released after posting bail.
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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