A 33-year-old employee of El Potro Mexican Cafe, 2351 W. 31st St., was ticketed for reckless driving after he crashed his truck into the restaurant Tuesday afternoon.
Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence police spokesman, said no one was injured but the building sustained damage. An employee said the restaurant remained open.
Police determined Marcos Guevara Hernandez of Lawrence was traveling at a high rate of speed through the parking lot about 2 p.m. when he lost control on a patch of sand and debris and crashed into the west side of the building. An off-duty police officer was in a booth at the restaurant during the crash.
McKinley said Hernandez told officers he was arriving for work when he lost control of the vehicle. He also said he had consumed a small amount of alcohol prior to the crash, but police were not able to determine he had consumed more than the legal limit to drive, the sergeant said.
Police also cited Hernandez for not having a valid driver’s license, and he has a notice to appear in municipal court July 11.
Comments
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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hujiko 11 months, 2 weeks ago
How scientific.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Xenophobia is an unreasonable fear of strange, or foreign people. It has nothing to do with fear, Informed. It might have something to do with science, hijiko.
It is a simple observation and a conjecture. A hypothesis that Marcos Guevara Hernandez is not here with the proper documents. It is testable and therefore could be a scientific hypothesis. Not xenophobic, but simply observational. And his status in this country will be revealed, and the disposition of his case will be legal and just.
And how will you respond if the hypothesis proves to be correct? What is your opinion if the perp has reason to not be in this country? That all people from everywhere deserve to be here. That there but for the grace of God go I? Really? Remember that old song from Ten Years After? "Tax the rich, feed the poor, 'till there are no rich no more"? Last I looked, this country lost 40% of its wealth over the last 4 years. Jobs are scarce, and life in this country is going downhill.
Mexicans fault? Nope. Americans fault. Just a bunch of fat butt video gamers who won't go to work at a Mexican restaurant. So they have to hire Marcos Guevara Hernandez , who is a party monster. And I will make my own tacos, thanks. Don't have to worry about malcontents spitting in my food.
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Wow. There's a whole lotta racist in that post, but I do have the feeling that spit in your food is really something you'd personally need to watch out for.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 11 months, 2 weeks ago
You nailed it.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
What is racist? Honestly....what is it? Can I be racist against party monsters? Against fatty video gamers? Against liberals? Against tea-partiers? I seek enlightenment. I can't seem to find a definition on Google. And Wiki says: "The definition of racism is controversial both because there is little scholarly agreement about what the word "race" means, and because there is also little agreement about what does and doesn't constitute discrimination"
So it is a throw away line...like when biologists use "evolved that way". I think that the use of evolution and racism come from the same sloppy thought process. Ill-defined words that mean "oh, you know, you know". No I don't. Tell me.
otto 11 months, 2 weeks ago
have you seen the potholes in that parking lot?
I would guess the big one threw him into the bulding.
angermeier 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Devobrun, that is not racist at all! I hope someone spits in your taco on taco tuesday & teaches you some manners :-)
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Is it racist, angermeier? No he didn't do this because he was Mexican. He did it because he was a party monster. Is party monster-baiting racist? I think I said that we have enough Yankees who do that. No homes, I think that he is a party monster. And he is here with no papers. He screwed the pooch.
He double-whammied. You do that and........ you grew up in Baldwin.....you go to jail. You do that and........ you grew up in Morelia, you go home.
Comprende?
hujiko 11 months, 2 weeks ago
You're really devolving today. Do yourself a favor and logout before you lose all your ljwcred.
repaste 11 months, 2 weeks ago
"where you from, man?" "Pack yer bags, hombre. We have enough Yankees who do that. Don't need no more burdens on society. Go home an' 'splain it to yer familia. You were bad news in Michoacán." Where did it say he was not born and raised in Lawrence?
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
His bonafides is that he is a party monster. He power slid into his place of business at 2 in the afternoon. His place of business and his name register as an ethnic identity.
What?
Was his behavior because of his ethnicity? Nah. His behavior is because he is a party monster. What will happen to him? Oh, that is influenced by his nationality. Like I said, If he was from Baldwin, then he is in trouble. If he is from outta the country....bye bye. Either his insurance goes through the roof, or he goes south.
Racist? What, because he might be from Mexico and this might mean that he goes back? And you folks are ignorant of this scenario? And bringing it up is racist? What? Really? Wait for the full report. If this man is from Fargo, then I will speak in North Decotan, aye hoser? Let's play some hockey or slide some rocks, Guevara. Bye, bye.
vertigo 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Yeah because his last name is Hispanic and he works at a Mexican restaurant that automatically means he speaks like a border jumper fresh from Mexico.
What if he was from Puerto Rico?
What if he was from Kansas?
Does everyone who has a hispanic surname speak in broken english with a thick Mexican accent? In your head I guess they do.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Get outta my head, vertigo. I wondered what that was. "What if he was from Kansas?" That's exactly what I thought. If he is from Kansas, then he is in trouble. If he is from Mexico, then he goes back. And I didn't say anything about illegally here from Mexico. I find the responses here to be very strange. Words get put in my posts that I didn't use. Concepts get extrapolated and my favorite word so far is Xenophobia. That means fearful of different people. I am pretty sure that none of my words could be construed as fearful in any way.
No vertigo, not everyone with a hispanic surname speaks broken english.....but some do. What about the ones who show up with bad dls, drinking while power sliding into the Mexican restaurant where they work.
1+1+1=3.
vertigo 11 months, 2 weeks ago
"No vertigo, not everyone with a hispanic surname speaks broken english.....but some do."
So why stereotype everyone with a hispanic name working at a mexican joint by posting what you posted?
That's just ignorant and fans the flames. You detracted from your message by posting it in the manner you did. To be honest I don't remember what you said, but I do remember how you said it. That says a lot. Maybe you were attempting to be funny... if so it didn't come off that way, by far.
That's my view, take it for what it's worth. Use my advice. Or not.
angermeier 11 months, 2 weeks ago
No papers? Don't you mean no dl? No green card does that make (paper would have stated he had no green card if that was the case)! It says NOWHERE that he had no papers! I'm German, obvious by my name, yet by your inane and very racist way of thinking by the posts you have made, if I drove into a german restaurant that I workedat... German name, german resturant, no dl, must be an illegal!!
THE LJWORLD DELETED YOUR POST! SO MAYBE I WAS RIGHT?????
THERE ARE WAAAAAY TOO MANY YANKEES LIKE YOU IN THIS COUNTRY. Might I suggest going back to where you came from (unless of course you are naitive american, which I somehow doubt)
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
No, yo no comprendo. Yo no hablo gilipollas racista.
Let's start with the simpler theory. Person who drives to work after drinking in the middle of the day and has an invalid licence. I'd suspect it was a suspended license for previous DUIs. It happens all the time. But since this person hasn't actually gone to court, it's just a guess.
tomatogrower 11 months, 2 weeks ago
We have a son who is always misplacing his license or leaving it at home. Devo, does that mean he isn't a citizen?
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Only if he has a hispanic surname and works in a Mexican restaurant. I'm not sure why Devo doesn't go work for INS. He's clearly got identification down to a science.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Don't forget, power slides into the restaurant and has been drinking before 2 in the afternoon. And it doesn't mean that he isn't a citizen. I speculated that he might be from Baldwin. If so then he is in trouble.
I speculated that he might be from Mexico. In that case, he goes home. ANd he might be here legally from Mexico, too..................but:
Chootspa can't read. And neither can tomatogrower.
That is because it is difficult to read when the red rage enters the eyes and the knees jerk up so hard that you fall out of the chair. So you can't laugh about a power sliding employee dislodging a cop after having been drinking.
Nope, it xenophobia, racist, bigotry. That's all there is too it.
I still think it's funny. I don't think you guys are.
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I can read just fine. You entertain me, but not for the reasons you'd probably hope.
You may have forgotten the earlier posts of yours that were delete. I can speculate why you might forget things... You only mentioned Baldwin when called out for making racist assumptions about his immigration status.
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
In many parts of the country, not having a drivers license is synonymous with not being eligible to have a drivers license. And by far the largest group fitting that category are illegal immigrants. It's really not that far a leap in logic. Whether or not that is the case here, I have no idea. But I'd be willing to put the chances at better than 50/50.
caughtinthemiddle 11 months, 2 weeks ago
And so you are OK with devo's assumption that this guy is illegal because you wager that the chances are 50/50?
The point is that devo started with a fairly reasonable assumption and then turned it into a rant based solely on the supposed race of the guy.
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I'm not at all O.K. with the racist rant. And if this were a court of law, I would presume innocence for the person in question as to whether or not illegal activity has happened. But on this opinion forum, I'm fine with using common sense and making certain assumptions.
Pywacket 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Bigoted much?! If the guy's name was Karl Weise, would you pretend to lapse into an idiotic Germanic accent? Or if he was Olaf Andersson, would you take on pidgin Swedish? Very unlikely. But because his name is Hispanic (and he worked at a Mexican restaurant), you think it's proper to trot out a Cheech routine from the 70s and dust it off. Not only that, but would you question the legal status of someone with a German, Swedish, English, or other surname originating in northern Europe? I think we all know the answer to that.
Mr. Hernandez was not the only one behaving badly today. Your comments are moronic and offensive. His actions were irresponsible enough to provide plenty of fodder for criticism. His name, ethnic background, and country of origin really have nothing to do with anything--you just used his name as an excuse to showcase your bigotry. That should play out well at your next Aryan Nations meeting. Anywhere else? Not so much.
sjgreen 11 months, 2 weeks ago
+1
TheStonesSuck 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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grammaddy 11 months, 2 weeks ago
+1
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Is it possible to be a bigot toward conservatives? Is the knee jerk call for racism in fact a thinly-veiled bigoted response to blunt opinions?
Nah, conservative middle class in the heartland rule the world and cannot be put upon because they are rednecks (oops, maybe that's racist), they have the political power (oops, they are falling into the abyss of joblessness). Oh, nevermind.....racism is a completely undefined word and concept. Pejorative, but defined only in context of whose ox is gored. I don't use a word that cannot be defined. I think those who do are lazy.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 11 months, 2 weeks ago
"Is it possible to be a bigot toward conservatives?"
So, you're blaming your idiotic and bigoted outburst tonight on your being a conservative?
Sorry, not even I would think to connect the dots in that way.
tomatogrower 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Devo, racism is racism. Quit playing this stupid, "Oh, the libs are picking on me." game. I will never stop calling people out for doing or saying something racist. Never. You have a right to your racist beliefs. At least have the guts to own up to them.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
ANd you don't have the intelligence to define your opinions. I asked for a definition. And you replied with "racism is racism". That is sublime, tomatogrower.
One of the reasons that tea-partiers, conservatives, communists, socialists, all non-liberals deride liberalism is that it is so wishy washy. Liberalism is so far from rigorous thought. I asked a question and I get a silly answer.
What is wrong with liberalism? It is nothingism. It stands for nothing but feeling guilty. Social engineering, I get. Socialism, communism, and other structured political, and economic ways of life make sense to me. Whether I agree with them or not, at least they are something.
This whole blog is about some poor sap who made some bad decisions and produced a funny result. Power sliding into his place of business. Displacing a cop and doing so with alcohol on his breath. NIce move. It's funny. And since he is quite possibly not from Kansas.....and maybe even here without papers.......that is a stereotype that can't be missed.
Unless you are a liberal, to whom nothing is funny and everything is a guilt trip. It is racist to point out the Mexican stereotype. It is racist because it is racist. (cue the child stamping her feet) Puritanism is what it is. The notion that somebody, somewhere is having fun. I might even be drinking a Big Gulp. So there miss prissy pants take that. I am a bigoted, xenophobic, racist Big Gulper. Laughing at yourself yet? I am.
Pywacket 11 months, 2 weeks ago
+10!!
Pywacket 11 months, 2 weeks ago
No, not at all--thanks for asking! My sense of humor is alive and well and bored with the offerings of the local bigots. And I'm not nearly as PC as you would like to think. Devobrun's comments are stale, humorless, and racist. His flimsy defense of his own comments are cowardly. Hell, he might as well just own his bigotry instead of putting on that pathetic disingenuous schtick. He's not fooling anyone--except you, perhaps.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Ja wohl, mein Führer.
We all have our crosses to bear.
And if his name was Johan, Olaf, Karl, or Sven, or Georgi.....I would think.....party monster. Ja, Ja, der wine is gut. La, la,la ha,ha,ha.
Pywacket 11 months, 2 weeks ago
You "would think"? Well, that would be some progress.
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 11 months, 2 weeks ago
"Ja, Ja, der wine is gut. La, la,la ha,ha,ha."
Vielleicht ein bisschen zu gut?
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Er braucht nicht Wein, wenn er die Droge selbst peinlich über das Internet hat.
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Apparently I pushed someone's buttons. I just pointed out that you don't do your apparent intellectual capacity any favors with your ethnic stereotyping when you can't even tell the difference between German and Scandinavian names.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
They aren't anybody's surnames, chootspa. They are just a bunch of names. Scandinavian, bulgarian, germanic.......who cares. Next time a guy named Sven power slides into a funnel cake stand at 2 in the afternoon, I'll make reference to Vodka at lunch. I'll ask my relatives in Stockholm for tips on spelling ethnic stereotypical phrases.
He slid into work and displaced an off-duty cop, chootspa.. To paraphrase Tommy Lee Jones from in MIB: "That's stupid, kid. That's stupid tough."
And if our man is not from Baldwin? Triple stupid.
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
They're a lot of people's names. You didn't make them up, even if you're only hypothetically ethnically stereotyping. You're also reading details into the report that weren't written in the article. Perhaps the vodka is whispering in your ear.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
No chootspa, you missed it. I have no discernible ethnicity. I am civilized and therefore I rejected the origin of my name and the baggage that comes with it. Have you ever heard of what the opposite of love is? It isn't hate, it is indifference. Similarly, the opposite of civilization isn't anarchy or chaos.....it is tribalism.
The farther one goes away from ethnic identity, the more civilized you can become. It isn't an automatic because you can join a movement, a political party, a tribe of some new kind. Open minds have no allegiance to race, creed, color, or country of origin, or religion. Try it, if it works, then go with it. This is an equal opportunity fun place. It is all a joke, chootspa. People set up belief systems and find solace in the friendship and communal spirit. This is true for Catholics, Environmentalist, Mexicans, Liberals. Haha, what a joke.
No, I am not a tea-partier. Yikes
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Wow. Whatever it is, it's whispering to you very loudly.
Gadhelyn 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Next for El Potro: drive-thru. Watch out Taco Bell and Taco Johns
Did_I_say_that 11 months, 2 weeks ago
El Potro has always offered drive-thru. Perhaps drive-in will soon be available?
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Just for the record, El Porto has really good Mexican food.
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I've heard that. I've yet to try it, but it's on my list.
Matthew Del Vecchio 11 months, 2 weeks ago
+1
50YearResident 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Wouldn't you think an employee would know where the building was located in the parking lot and not run into it? What else was going on here? Liquor? Drugs?
50YearResident 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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DillonBarnes 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Are you implying that someone who has never been there may NOT be able to locate the building once they're in the parking lot?
50YearResident 11 months, 2 weeks ago
My opinion, you would have to be driving over 40 mph in the parking lot to lose control and run into the building. Why would an employee be driving that fast?
vertigo 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Because he was screwing around, showing off in front of his friends?
DillonBarnes 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I don't think 40 mph is at all necessary to loose control. You could be going 10 mph, hit the accelerator while you're on the sand, and send a 2-ton vehicle into a measly wall.
No doubt he was driving unsafe, but it's not at all necessary to be under the influence to drive unsafe.
otto 11 months, 2 weeks ago
They already have a drive through
Did_I_say_that 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The key to this story is one line: "An off-duty police officer was in a booth at the restaurant during the crash."
Had there not been an off-duty officer on-site this would not be as detailed of a story.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
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FarneyMac 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I am "confused" as to your gratuitous "use" of "scare" "quotes." I would "ask" you to explain, but I already know "you're" not capable of rational "thought."
Pywacket 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Word.
JackMcKee 11 months, 2 weeks ago
In Mexico they call this renovating.
Pywacket 11 months, 2 weeks ago
And another bigot crawls out of the woodwork. They said the insects would be bad this summer, what with the mild winter.
Keith 11 months, 2 weeks ago
+1
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Wiki: "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. described bigots with the following quote: "The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour upon it, the more it will contract"
The word derives from spanish meaning a man with a big mustache. It refers to an image of an obstinate, opinionated person who yields power and doesn't care about other opinions.
I don't see any of that in Jacks funny. Racist is better. Since race is undefined, racism is a good word for denigrating someone you don't like without having to explain yourself. Yep, Jack is a racist because he made a funny about Mexico. Shame on you Jack. There is nothing funny about Mexico.
JackMcKee 11 months, 2 weeks ago
well I don't really want to delve into this too deeply, considering it was an off color joke in the first place, but Mexico is a country. I think you were trying to say my comment was racist, obviously I don't really think they drive cars through buildings to renovate them and considering that I've been to Mexico on numerous occasions I think I have a pretty open mind to what actually goes on in the country. Racism is directed at a race. Mexico is not a race. Mexico is a country. So, considering what I said is neither bigotry, nor racist, get your shorts out of that wad and quit being so overly sensitive.
devobrun 11 months, 2 weeks ago
From wiki:"Discrimination on the basis of nationality is usually included in employment laws[16] (see below section for employment discrimination specifically). It is sometimes referred to as bound together with racial discrimination[17] although it can be separate. It may vary from laws that stop refusals of hiring based on nationality, asking questions regarding origin, to prohibitions of firing, forced retirement, compensation and pay, etc. based on nationality."
So, it might be possible to be discriminatory against a country, and therefore racist.
In a world of fuzzy thinking and really bad definitions of concepts, just about anything can be called racist. Welcome to the club, Jack. Makes you feel odd, doesn't it? You get called racist and you wonder.......will the thought police show up. Will I be arrested for thinking things that a liberal finds offensive? Scary, since liberals can find anything offensive.
obamasocks 11 months, 2 weeks ago
!Ay caramba! Muy lo siento taco hombre. Hasta la vista, baby.
ssakcaj 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Since when can you be ticketed for driving on private property?
Sec. 2. Provisions of Ordinance Refer to Vehicles Upon the Streets and Highways; Exceptions. The provisions of this ordinance relating to the operation of vehicles refer exclusively to the operation of vehicles upon streets and highways within this city except:
(a) Where a different place is specifically referred to in a given section.
(b) The provisions of Sections 29 to 31, inclusive, of this ordinance, and the provisions of Article 10 of Chapter 8 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, and any acts amendatory thereof, shall apply upon streets and highways and elsewhere throughout the city. (K.S.A. 8-1501)
vertigo 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Reckless driving and DUI are not limited to streets and highways. Statute 8-1566: Reckless driving, penalties. (a) Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.
Notice it did not state on a street or roadway in that specific statute. That's because it is not limited to such places.
ssakcaj 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Which is why I posted the above blurb, Sec. 2. Provisions of Ordinance Refer to Vehicles Upon the Streets and Highways. The City of Lawrence's Ordinance are based on the Standard Traffic Ordinance for Kansas Cities, Edition of 2011, where it states that provisions apply exclusively to the operation of vehicles upon streets and highways within this city except: (a) Where a different place is specifically referred to in a given section. The City of Lawrence, that I can see has not modified that Standard Traffic Ordinance.
Vertigo cited Statute 8-1566: Reckless driving, penalties. (a) Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving. However:
8-1501: Application of sections in article 15. The provisions of this article relating to the operation of vehicles refer exclusively to the operation of vehicles upon highways except: (a) Where a different place is specifically referred to in a given section; and
Section 8-1501 covers 8-1566 which means that, again, the incident happened on private property, not a city street. I do agree that DUI is different and it states so in the ordinances covering it. Same applies to handicapped parking. Here is an example of the handicapped parking clause, "(c) The provisions of subsection (a) shall be enforced by law enforcement officers on public and private property."
vertigo 11 months, 2 weeks ago
You stated DUI is different... but DUI is listed with Reckless driving in the same section.
"The provisions of K.S.A. 8-1566 to 8-1568 ... shall apply upon highways and elsewhere throughout the state." So the three statutes that are covered for private property are: 8-1566 - Reckless Driving 8-1567 - DUI and 8-1568 Fleeing and Eluding
"elsewhere throughout the state" covers private and public property.
ssakcaj 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I think you are correct. I did not think to look and see what the other two sections were 8-1567 and 8-1568. Actually now that I look at it, the answer was right there in front of me since it does list 8-1566. : )
So now we/I know that you can get a ticket for reckless driving, DUI and fleeing and eluding if we are being crazy in the parking lot at Wal-Mart.
smitty 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Thank you George, we now have the most comprehensive version of the incident that can be printed in the JW.
No injury, no involvement, no connection to the incident what-so-ever, nothing, but know that .....An off-duty police officer was in a booth at the restaurant during the crash.
marymo70 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I wish some if you would go live in south Texas for just a month or so.
Camry12 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Where is this restaraunt? I just go straight to Wal-mart and back home so I have no clue where this is?
chootspa 11 months, 2 weeks ago
If you kept going on 31st, you'd see it. It's just past the Steak and Shake.
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Next door to Sonic.
Did_I_say_that 11 months, 2 weeks ago
http://bit.ly/KCiu0y
jayhawklawrence 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I hope is wasn't the cook because the food is really good.
I particularly like the burritos.
Recommended when your diet can stand it.
NavyVet 11 months, 2 weeks ago
As usual, the enlightened few lecture on what is racist, bigotry, and hate; yet, display many of the same qualities. It's clear how you vote without telling anyone for whom you vote.
Stop writing about racism as if you know all, let alone anything, about it. Because you don't. Stop being judgmental, bigoted, and hateful - which you purport to eschew - simply because you don't agree with someone who doesn't agree with you. And get a sense of humor. You arrogant JFs.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I take it you agree with devo's bigoted rants.
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