Residents left scrambling after Regis Motel in Denver loses license

A man who identified himself as "Bag Lou from Louisiana" was kicked out of his home at the Regis Motel Thursday when Denver police executed a search warrant on the property and suspended the business license for the motel.

"They didn't give no explanation and nothing. Everybody get out right now," he said. "Pack your stuff. You got an hour or two hours or whatever to get out."

Manager Damien Elliot said the situation left residents scrambling.

"Everybody's just running around trying to figure out where they're going to go," said Elliot.

It left many without another place to stay in the middle of what Denver Mayor Mike Johnston calls a "homelessness emergency."

Bag Lou says he can see why the motel was shut down.

"There's too much drugs, violence, and killing. Been going on over here lately," he said.

Bag Lou says it's been especially violent in the past two weeks. "Three shootings at just one place," he said.

It turns out Denver police have been conducting narcotics-related investigations at and around the Regis Motel since July.

During Thursday's search investigators found drugs and guns in one room and two people were arrested.

They also arrested a 58-year-old woman on unrelated felony warrants,

A 50-year-old woman who identified herself as the property manager was cited for operating without a lodging license 

Residents left with all they could carry amongst the chaos, knowing they likely will never return.

"They say that they're done with this thing. They're going to redo it, turning it into apartments for people to come pay for it," said Bag Lou