West Seattle, Washington
14 Sunday
Three notes in Crime Watch this morning:
RYAN COX UPDATE: Since his post-prison-release arrest last week, we’ve been watching the case. This morning, the VINE system sent notification that he is out of custody. The SCORE jail roster shows him still there with “scheduled release” tonight, so we are working to clarify. Regarding last week’s arrest, Department of Corrections spokesperson Jacque Coe told WSB that he “was arrested on a DOC warrant for two alleged violations; a) failure to comply with approved prison release address, and b) absconding by failure to report. As a condition of his supervision, he was to report to a field office within one business day of his release where geographical conditions, if any, would be discussed with him at that time, in addition to other resources of support specific to his needs.”
BUILDING-BURGLARY ARREST: A 36-year-old man is in jail, accused of breaking into a Morgan Junction apartment building in the 6500 block of California SW late Tuesday night. Police were called when the break-in was seen on live security video, with the burglar using a hammer to damage mailboxes, according to the SPD report. Police were told the suspect was first caught in the building three hours earlier, told to leave, then came back. Not only were the mailboxes damaged, the report says, two building doors also had handle damage, and door locks on two tenants’ vehicles were damaged. Police reviewed recorded security video and noted a “garden hoe” being used to damage the mailboxes as well as a hammer; both were found and taken into evidence. The police report says the suspect told police he had just ingested drugs, including heroin, so he was taken to Harborview for evaluation before being booked into jail. Online records show the suspect is awaiting trial for charges in three building break-ins on SW Avalon Way last November. We’ll update after his expected bail hearing in this case later today.
WHITE CENTER VANDALISM: Local community advocates are circulating this link to a crowdfunding campaign to help more than half a dozen White Center businesses deal with the damage done by vandals in recent months, and asked us to share it with you. The cases are being investigated by the King County Sheriff’s Office; we hope to get an update during tonight’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting (7 pm, online).
9:03 AM: Big emergency response for a crash at 30th/Thistle.- details to come.
9:14 AM: Witnesses report this followed a pursuit involving King County Sheriff’s Deputies, which we had just started hearing about before this call. Photo added. We’re still working to find out what led to the pursuit. Two people were in the car and both are out.
9:20 AM: Thistle will be blocked in that area for a while because of the KCSO investigation. SPD is assisting with traffic control until KCSO can send more units.
9:39 AM: KCSO tells us at the scene that this started with deputies trying to pull the car over for potentially stolen license plates. At some point, they say, the driver rammed one or more KCSO vehicles. No serious injuries reported; the driver and a passenger were being questioned.
9:56 AM: Just talked to KCAO spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer. He confirms a PIT maneuver was done to stop the car and that its driver had “rammed two patrol cars.” One deputy has been taken to the hospital “as a precautionary measure.” The driver is in custody and has “multiple warrants.” This all started outside the Roxbury Safeway.
One more note – Thistle is blocked about a block west of the city’s vaccination hub, so to get there, you’ll have to approach from the east – get to westbound Thistle from Delridge, for example. We’ll check back on the street’s status later.
12:45 PM: Thistle is still closed.
3:03 PM: Finally got back over to check again; the street has reopened.
If you saw or heard a sizable police response in Gatewood this afternoon, here’s what was happening: Police were called to a potential person-in-crisis situation near 37th/Rose after 3 pm and say they ended up arresting a woman for allegedly assaulting a family member and two officers. None of the victims were hurt badly enough to require hospital care, police say. The 52-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail.
Those photos are from the Southwest Precinct, accompanying this alert:
On 4/25/21 at (1:20 am), the two … pictured above forced entry into the front doors of a secured residential building in the 9000 block of 20th Ave SW using a power drill. The (burglars) proceeded to steal packages from the lobby area and prowl several cars in the parking garage. There are no good face shots of the (burglars), but their clothing may be recognizable or there may be similar crimes where the suspects may be wearing similar clothing.
If you have any information about who they are, contact Detective Topacio at 206-256-6821.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports today:
2 MORE CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFTS: From Scott:
My much-loved Honda Element lost its catalytic converter to despicable thieves (Friday) night. As did my fellow Element owner the next block south. I’m in the 2600 block of Belvidere. It is an expensive problem, not just the cost of the replacement part itself but they cause collateral damage which also must be fixed. Found vehicles are lining up for these repairs at shops.
Though a variety of vehicles are vulnerable, Elements are among the most-popular targets these days, as we learned firsthand in February.
CAR PROWLS: From Karen in Hansen View:
One of our neighbors discovered this morning that car prowlers hit several vehicles in our neighborhood overnight. They broke out a streetside-facing window on two vehicles that were parked on SW Dawson where it dead-ends just west of 36th. They unlocked our older Subaru, rifled through the glove box, and left a large straightedge screwdriver behind. Another neighbor had his van prowled, but doesn’t think anything was taken. As neighbors here compare notes, what we know so far is that this happened around 2 o’clock this morning and that they were in the alley between 36th and 37th – both north and south of Dawson – the 5000-block and 5200-block.
Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ROBBERY ATTEMPT WITH GUNFIRE: After a tip, we have obtained the preliminary police report about this incident that happened just after 7:30 last night in the 2100 block of Harbor Avenue SW. Police say:
The victim stated as he was traveling northbound, another vehicle was attempting to parallel park. As he drove past, he honked his horn at the suspect vehicle. The victim parked up the roadway and shortly after without warning the suspect entered the passenger side door of his vehicle. He demanded money; the victim stated he didn’t have any. As the suspect exited the vehicle, he fired one round into the passenger seat (unknown if intentional or accidental, according to the victim). The suspect then fled the scene with an unknown subject in a separate vehicle. Officers impounded the suspect vehicle …
The witness who tipped us about the incident says the vehicle that was parking was a black Tahoe, and the vehicle that the would-be robber left in was a dark silver Saturn. He described the would-be robber as white, male, 5’10”, bald, orange construction shirt, tan hat, and faded blue jeans. If you have any information, the case number is 2021-105563.
GARAGE BURGLARY: Ian reports this happened Friday afternoon at his building in the 1100 block of Alki Avenue SW:
A man broke into our building’s storage area and opened up about a dozen of the unit’s storage lockers. Ultimately he made away with two (stolen) suitcases (visible in the second photo) full of our property.
SPD case number is 2021-105338.
CAR BREAK-IN: Texted reader report:
Kblockquote>Car Prowler broke into our Ford truck on the corner of 41st Avenue Southwest and SW Austin Street. Car prowler is routinely hitting the Gatewood neighborhood. This is at least the 3rd time the truck has been broken into. They took everything in the truck (which wasn’t much and mainly old CD’s that don’t work). They made a mess inside, broke door parts, and muddy shoe prints all over the seats as if they were crawling everywhere inside. Please, we implore the Police to start patroling Gatewood for car prowlers.
We are following up for the case # on this one.
Two days ago, we reported on the release from prison of 43-year-old Ryan J. Cox, three and a half years after he stabbed a man in West Seattle, following a string of increasingly violent crimes over an eight-year span (detailed here). Early this morning, we updated our Tuesday report with news that Cox is back in jail for violating conditions of his release. Now we have additional information: Southwest Precinct police arrested him on a warrant issued because he did not report to his Department of Corrections officer as required post-release. That’s considered “escaping” from community custody (parole), under which Cox was to be supervised for 18 months post-prison. Police say the DOC contacted them last night to advise that a warrant was forthcoming. Police say they got confirmation of the warrant at 10:30 pm and arrested Cox 16 minutes later. The police report says that after his release from prison, he “immediately returned to the area (where) the original crime occurred,” and that’s exactly where he was arrested – in the 7100 block of California SW. Cox remains in the SCORE jail in Des Moines this morning. What happens now? We’re researching that as part of a followup inquiry we already had out to the DOC. State law classifies escaping from community custody as a felony. (DOC photo, July 2020)
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:
GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: Just after 10 pm last night, police were called to an apartment complex in the 5900 block of Delridge Way SW after a resident reported hearing a gunshot and seeing a bright flash of light. Officers told dispatch that they found.a shell casing, but the report says they found no victim and no suspect.
WOULD-BE CATALYTIC CONVERTER THIEF: Residents in the 3700 block of Beach Drive forwarded this alert circulated in their complex:
This past weekend (4/24-25), we encountered an incident of attempted property theft. At roughly 4:00 am on Sunday morning, an individual arrived on our property and checked for unlocked doors before proceeding to begin cutting off the catalytic converter(s) from a resident’s vehicle which was parked under the south carport. An alert resident heard the commotion and scared the would-be thief away from the safety of their deck.
Race: Caucasian or other light-complexion
Hair: Long brown hair with some gray, pulled into ponytail
Height: Between 6’0″ – 6’2″ tall
Weight: Unknown
Dress: Navy blue heavy jacket with a brown fur-lined hood, navy or black Adidas track pants, grey lace-less sneakers, blue bandana, and black skullcap.
The alert says police were called; we do not have the incident number, but if we get it we will add it.
According to the VINE service, as well as a notification message received by his victim, Ryan J. Cox is out of prison. He had been in custody since August 8, 2017, when he was arrested for stabbing a man in Gatewood. In January 2019, he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, and the next month, he was given a five-year sentence. Cox had a history of high-profile West Seattle incidents going back to 2009, as detailed in this WSB report the day after the 2017 stabbing. So far we don’t have details about his whereabouts post-release, nor about his time in the state prison system, though the timing of his release indicates the sentence was reduced by “time off for good behavior.” We obtained the photo at right from the state Department of Corrections, which says it was taken last year. Cox is now 43 years old. His prison time was to be followed by 18 months of community custody, our state’s version of parole, which means that wherever he is, he will have to check in with a DOC officer regularly.
THURSDAY 2:48 AM: Few details yet but Cox is in jail, booked into the SCORE facility in Des Moines late Wednesday night. The docket description says “DOC violator,” which means he’s accused of violating terms of his release. We’ll be following up.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this morning:
STORE ROBBERY: Two men held up the Junction 7-11 early today, according to a preliminary summary filed by police. It says the robbers entered, then “milled around the store momentarily and then went behind the counter, where they confronted the lone store clerk. One (robber) held a small black handgun to the clerk’s back while the other demanded that he open the cash registers. The clerk complied and both registers were then emptied. The (robbers) also took cigarettes and lighters and then fled on foot.” A K-9 team helped search but the track ended in the alley behind the store. The robbers were described as Black, in their 20s, all-black clothing, black masks, and gloves.
STOLEN VAN: Be on the lookout for this van:
It’s a pretty rare burgundy color 1997 Chevy Astro and even more rare with a 5” lift and Jeep Wrangler wheels. It had a full tank of gas so probably long gone but who knows. Stolen 4/21/21. License plate BQV2561. Since it went missing, it has been seen on 42nd near Thriftway and in the parking lot at Fairmount Park Elementary. Please keep an eye out and call 911 (then) email me. gershon@est.org
UPDATE: Found where two commenters spotted it! The big gray rooftop cargo box is still missing, though.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
SEEN THIS CAR? The alert was forwarded by Southwest Precinct police. Though the theft in question happened in South Park, this type of crime has been prevalent regionally (and nationally) lately, so they’re circulating it more widely:
On 4/13/21 at approximately 1100 hours, a catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota Prius while the Prius was parked in the business parking lot located at 309 S. Cloverdale St. The above vehicle is the suspect vehicle. The suspects fled the scene in the above vehicle, most likely a hatchback VW. If you have seen this vehicle in any other (incidents), please contact (Officer) cleades.robinson@seattle.gov.
ANOTHER MAIL-THEFT CHARGE: Repeat-mail-theft suspect Jason A. Turner has remained in jail since his most-recent arrest last Sunday, and now his bail has doubled to $10,000 because another charge has been filed against him. This one stems from one of his six previous arrests this year, back on March 24th. Charging documents say he was found with 16 pieces of stolen mail at the time. He was released from jail after two days because prosecutors didn’t have the information needed to “rush-file” charges, but they have since received the case and charged Turner with another count of felony stolen-mail possession, the third felony case filed against him in two months. (Turner was discussed extensively by SW Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman at this past week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – see our report here.)
4:16 PM: A commenter mentioned this morning that there was suspected gunfire in the Luna Park area late last night. At the time, we found no confirmation. But that has changed. A preliminary police report says SPD got a call around mid-morning reporting gunshot damage sometime overnight at the Pet Care Center at Luna Park veterinary clinic (2950 SW Avalon Way). According to the police report, “A spent round was located in the lobby area of the business, and it penetrated a window frame on the east side of the building. There were about five or six locations of new damage.” We have a followup inquiry out to the clinic.
4:43 PM: The clinic confirms that no one was hurt – no pets or people were in the building when it happened. Their services have continued today uninterrupted.
(Added – WSB photo)
8:56 PM: Big police and fire response in the 6900 block of 2nd SW, near the 1st Avenue South Bridge. They’re looking for a man who is reported to have shot two people. The Guardian One helicopter was called out too. No other information yet.
9:07 AM: Police say the shooting is reported to have happened at “an encampment” in the area.
9:36 AM: We’ve talked to SPD spokesperson Det. Patrick Michaud at the scene. He says it happened around 8:30 am; both victims are at Harborview, (updated) a man and a woman, and that “many shots” were fired, The shooter was described as male, Black, short or no hair, possibly associated with a Dodge sedan, maybe a Challenger. K9 and helicopter are still helping search the area. We’ll add video of the briefing when it’s uploaded. (Added – here it is:)
10:01 AM: Update on the victims from SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo – ages approximate – 20-year-old man in critical condition, 28-year-old woman in serious condition.
12:06 PM: Additional information from the preliminary SPD summary:
At approximately 0830, the male and female victims were inside of their vehicle in an encampment located at the 6900 BLK of 2 Ave SW. The (shooter) walked up and fired several rounds inside the vehicle, striking the victims in the arm, abdomen, and torso. The (shooter) left on foot. Officers arrived and set up containment. Guardian 1, K99, Traffic Units, and SWAT, responded to the scene and assisted with the area search. The (shooter) wasn’t located. A witness on scene said that the same suspect was inside of a White newer model Dodge Charger or Challenger prior to the shooting.
1:06 PM: More information from police about the “many shots” that were fired – they found “seven 9mm fired cartridge casings (and) three 9mm rounds” at the scene.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
STOLEN VEHICLE: Mike‘s white Chevrolet Trailblazer was stolen near California/Rosbury in northwest Arbor Heights early Tuesday. He says it was “loaded with all my carpenter tools.” His other vehicle was prowled, too. We don’t have the license # yet but if you see an abandoned white Trailblazer, it might be Mike’s. SPD incident # is 2021-96035. (Added: It’s a 2004 Trailblazer, plate BVK3796.)
STOLEN WHEELS: Noelle reports this happened Monday night or Tuesday morning in her apartment lot in the 7500 block of 35th SW:
I left my apartment to go to the bank … and discovered my wheels and tires were gone off the rear of my 2002 Honda civic. To put it mildly, I am in shock as it was up on concrete blocks. This is totally devastating for me as I don’t have the money to replace them at this time. Been laid off since the start of pandemic.
She has filed an online police report and sent this to alert neighbors.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges today in three cases we’ve covered this past week:
MAIL THEFT: One day after 37-year-old Jason A. Turner‘s seventh arrest this year, he is charged with possession of stolen mail. Court documents say a 911 call brought officers to the 6500 block of 25th SW, where they saw Turner “carrying a large pile of mail” – until police arrived, when they saw him dumping it into a trash can, as well as pulling more mail out of his pants and throwing that away too. They found yet more in his pockets, as well as items of clothing that had been removed from packages, plus a folding knife. In all, the police report says they believe he was in possession of 70 pieces of mail that wasn’t his. (What they recovered, they took to the Westwood Village post office, the documents say.) This is the second felony case filed against Turner in two months; court documents say he has no felony convictions. Prosecutors asked for $5,000 bail, and that’s what a judge set.
Suspects are also now charged in two incidents we reported last Wednesday night:
STORE ROBBERY: 34-year-old Charles P. Lotaki is charged with first-degree robbery for a shoplift-turned-holdup incident at the Walgreens in South Delridge. Employees say they were familiar with him from previous incidents and he had been “trespassed” – ordered not to return to the store – previously. When they confronted him Wednesday night, the charging documents say, he pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot them. The store manager evacuated her employees; when Lotaki walked out of the store, police were there, and a 15-minute standoff ensued before they took him into custody. His weapon turned out to be a “realistic-looking” Airsoft gun. This is his fourth arrest in two months, with other felony and misdemeanor charges pending, including a non-West Seattle case filed today, in which he is accused of breaking into a downtown drugstore. His bail is at $76,000.
ID THEFT: The woman arrested after showing up Wednesday at the Westwood Village Bank of America and allegedly trying to use stolen cards is now charged with two counts of identity theft. 36-year-old Lidia Gutierrez-Vega is accused of trying to use cards, checks, and ID belonging to someone who was the victim of a burglary in Kent. After her arrest, the charging documents say, she claimed another person offered her $100 to impersonate the victim and try to make changes to her account. Gutierrez-Vega has.a felony theft conviction on her record as well as pending cases including two counts of being in possession of a stolen car; jail records show she was booked and released five days before this arrest for investigation of auto theft. Her bail is set at $2,500.
Theft can happen fast. Latest reminder of that is in this report from Dan in the 5900 block of Beach Drive:
Someone stole my bike out of our garage this morning around 6:30-6:45. The garage door was open as we were between trips putting out the garbage. The bike was hanging up on hooks in our garage.
Stolen bicycles – like cars – may be abandoned after thieves use them to get from Point A to Point B, so be on the lookout.
From Deniece:
I would like to report an incident that occurred today about 2:30 pm. My daughter was crossing the street, heading north on Lanham PL SW & Sylvan Way, when a Caucasian woman in a light blue 4-door car, heading west, hit her with her car. She didn’t hit her hard, but it was enough to knock her down. Apparently, this woman stopped in the middle of the intersection because traffic was backed up. The light changed red and she proceeded through the intersection. My daughter said something to her as she began crossing the street and the woman kept going and hit her. Did anyone see this? If so, I would appreciate any help trying to find this woman. The medics checked my daughter out and she is ok. I will be taking her into the doctor tomorrow morning. Police incident #21-94295.
For the seventh time this year, mail-theft suspect Jason A. Turner is in jail. The register shows he was booked just before 9 am today; Southwest Precinct police sent this report:
Southwest officers were dispatched to the area of 24th Av. SW / Delridge Wy SW for a male suspect checking and stealing mail from mailboxes. Officers recognized the suspect’s description and MO as a habitual mail theft suspect who preys on community members in this area. Officers arrived in the area and located the suspect standing near a recycling bin in the 6500 block of Delridge Way. Southwest Officers identified and confirmed that it was the suspect whom officers were very familiar with and know that the suspect has an extensive history of mail thefts. Southwest officers have arrested this suspect five (5) times this year alone. Officers observed that the suspect was in possession of a large bundle of US mail when contacted. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. Search incident to arrest, more US mail was recovered from his person.
When previously arrested last month, Turner spent two days in jail; he was released because the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had yet to file charges, awaiting more information from SPD. The KCPAO did charge him in February with four counts of possession of stolen mail, the first felony charges he has faced. He was in jail 16 days after that arrest, getting out on bond March 4th. He was arrested three times in March after that, twice in Seattle, once in South King County. Next step in this case should be a bail hearing tomorrow, and we will of course follow up.
(Added: WSB photo)
9:12 PM: Big emergency response to Delridge/Andover after a report of an injured person and possible ‘gunfire in the area,’ per emergency radio. Avoid the area. Updates to come.
9:17 PM: Emergency crews are asking to block traffic from getting onto the eastbound low bridge – which would be open to all at this time of night – so they have a clear path for transporting the victim.
9:23 PM: Per radio communication, one man, about 18 years old, is going to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck, after someone shot into the vehicle he was in.
9:32 PM: Northbound Delridge is reported to be blocked at Genesee.
9:40 PM: The gunfire may have happened at some point north of Delridge/Andover; police plan to search along SW Spokane. They say they have no suspect description yet. Our crew has arrived in the area and confirms NB traffic on Delridge is blocked north of Genesee.
10:08 PM: In both a tweet and SPD Blotter post, police have used the 2000 block of SW Charlestown – uphill/east of Delridge/Andover – as a location for the shooting. They also say the victim’s wound is not believed to be life-threatening, and they ask for anyone with information to “call the tip line at 206-233-5000.”
11:59 PM: One more note on location – the preliminary summary from the Southwest Precinct says, “SPD 911 began receiving reports of gunshots near Spokane St and Delridge Way SW. Shortly afterward a victim of gunfire was located in the 3800 block of Delridge Way SW.”
Todd reports this happened last weekend:
My wife returned home in the Belvedere neighborhood on Sunday to find a woman in a red Toyota Corolla with the passenger side door open, which was next to the curb, digging our tulips and other flower bulbs out of the ground.
Upon being confronted the woman got shaky and apologized and slid into the car with ease through the passenger side and vamoosed it on out on there. She was tall, blonde and blue eyes. Her car was decked out inside with glittery sparkly things. She was wearing blue flip flops. The perpetrator got a verbal lesson in stealing and the respect of other’s property. No police report was filed … it’s a sad story of a young woman stealing flower bulbs, as flowers are not worth anything but happiness and if you have to steal it, that defeats the purpose.
For the second time in three days, we’ve received a report of a stolen white Ford van. This one is from Kate:
Our 2001 white Ford e350 conversion van was stolen from the side of our house late Wednesday night or Thursday morning. We live on 35th and Thistle. It was parked on Thistle Street. License plate is MOBI.
If you see it, call 911.
Two followups in West Seattle Crime Watch:
CAR-ATTACK DRIVER CHARGED: The man arrested Monday and accused of deliberately running over his girlfriend at 24th/Holden is now charged, and his bail has been tripled. 25-year-old Eric J. Frank Jr. is charged with three felonies – first-degree domestic-violence assault, second-degree domestic-violence assault, and domestic-violence vehicular assault. The latter charge incorporates his alleged intoxication at the time – .16 blood alcohol, twice the legal level for DUI, according to court documents. The charges also accuse Frank of using the car as a potentially deadly weapon. The charging papers say the 26-year-old victim is in the ICU and has already endured multiple surgeries. Bail for Frank, an Alki resident who had been arrested once before for threatening the victim, is now at $250,000.
ROBBER PHOTOS: Police have provided security-camera photos of the person who held up the Rite Aid pharmacy at Westwood Village on Wednesday:
Police say witnesses described him as “Black, slim build, wearing a white hoody with black writing on the chest, a blue bandana mask, black jeans with white lettering ‘TC’ on back, red sneakers, and carrying a red and blue quilted hand-bag.” If you have any information that might help detectives, call 206-262-2526 or email david.simmons@seattle.gov.
Some days (like yesterday) there’s no crime news to report. Today has not been one of those days. Here’s another West Seattle Crime Watch update:
WALGREENS SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: Big police response this past hour at the South Delridge Walgreens after what was described in radio communication as a case of shoplifting that became robbery when a gun was pulled. Officers were in a brief standoff with the suspect – but it ended a short time ago with them taking him into custody. More information when we get it.
ADDED 9:49 AM THURSDAY: A few more details from the preliminary police summary: “The (adult male suspect) was known to the workers for having been previously trespassed from the store for numerous theft incidents. When contacted by store employees, the suspect produced a weapon and threatened to harm all persons in the store if they did not allow him to leave. Employees self evacuated.”
ID THEFT ARREST: This happened at the Westwood Village Bank of America around 4 pm this afternoon. According to the preliminary police summary:
A bank manager called 911 to report a suspect attempting to access a bank account with fraudulent documents and ID. The bank confirmed with the account holder the suspect did not have permission to access the account and stated the items being used had been stolen during a burglary in Kent. Officers arrived and investigated the incident. The suspect was taken into custody for forgery and ID theft. Search incident to arrest, officers located multiple ID cards, access cards, and personal financial documents belonging to several possible victims. The suspect was booked into KCJ for investigation of forgery and investigation of ID theft.
We’ll follow up on the suspects’ status in both cases tomorrow.
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