Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 21 May 2018

Cyclists tried to scare cougar but it attacked, killing 1

By GENE JOHNSON ride off. He rode for 2 miles known to kill livestock or
Associated Press (3 kilometers) before he pets, and though one even
SEATTLE (AP) — The two could get a cellphone sig- found its way into a park in
mountain bikers did what nal to call 911. Seattle in 2009, encounters
they were supposed to When rescuers arrived, it with people in Washing-
do when they noticed a took about half an hour to ton state are rare. Attacks
mountain lion tailing them find Brooks, who was dead have become more com-
on a trail east of Seattle. with the cougar on top of mon as people increasingly
They got off their bikes. They him in what appeared to encroach on the animals’
faced the beast, shouted be a den-like area. An of- territory. In North America,
and tried to spook it. Af- ficer shot at it, and it ran off. there have been about
ter it charged, one even Several hours later, Wash- 25 deadly attacks and 95
smacked the cougar with ington Department of Fish nonfatal attacks reported
his bike, and it ran off. and Wildlife agents used in the past century, but
It wasn’t enough, authori- Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police leave the scene on a dogs to track it to a nearby more attacks have been
ties said. remote King County road near the site of a fatal cougar attack tree. They shot and killed it. reported in the U.S. West
As they stood trying to Saturday May 19, 2018 in East King County, Wash. Authorities plan to match and Canada over the past
catch their breath, the (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP) DNA taken from the animal 20 years than in the previ-
cougar returned, biting something was wrong with The 31-year-old Seattle with DNA from the victims ous 80, according to Fish
one of them on the head this cougar.” man who was bitten first, to be certain they killed the and Wildlife. Experts say
and shaking him, Capt. The attack Saturday near Isaac Sederbaum, sur- right cougar. They sent the that people encounter-
Alan Myers of the Washing- North Bend, in the Cas- vived. Rescuers flew him to animal’s carcass to a vet- ing the big cats in the wild
ton Department of Fish and cade Mountain foothills 30 a hospital, where he was in erinary lab at Washington should stop and pick up
Wildlife Police said Sunday. miles (48 kilometers) east satisfactory condition Sun- State University for a nec- small children immediately.
The second cyclist ran, and of Seattle, was the first fa- day, Harborview Medical ropsy to determine what Because running and rapid
the animal dropped the tal cougar attack in the Center spokeswoman Su- might have been wrong movements can trigger the
first victim and pounced on state in 94 years. Myers said san Gregg said. with it. There are an estimat- animal’s prey drive, don’t
him, killing him and drag- Sunday that the cougar Myers identified the de- ed 2,000 cougars in Wash- run. Instead, face the cou-
ging him back to what ap- was underweight — about ceased victim, a 32-year- ington. Until the 1960s, the gar, speak firmly and slowly
peared to be its den. 100 pounds (45 kilograms), old Seattle resident, as S.J. state paid hunters a bounty back away — appearing
“They did everything they when a typical 3-year-old Brooks. After the cougar for killing them. Now, it al- as large as possible, such
were supposed to do,” male in the area would be attacked Brooks, a badly lows 250 to be hunted in 50 as by standing on a rock or
King County sheriff’s Sgt. 140 to 180 pounds (63 to 81 bloodied Sederbaum man- designated zones. stump or opening a sweat-
Ryan Abbott said. “But kilograms). aged to get on his bike and While they are sometimes shirt or jacket.q
Investigators finally get look at materials from Cohen raid

home and office of Presi- Cohen’s personal business for porn star Stormy Daniels,
dent Donald Trump’s per- dealings. from joining the court case.
sonal lawyer as a process Twice, Jones has filed let- The first materials to face
to separate items subject ters updating the status of the scrutiny of Jones and
to attorney-client privilege the privilege search, most lawyers for Cohen, Trump
appears to be meeting a recently a week ago. She and the Trump Organiza-
judge’s demand that it oc- said she will provide Wood tion, were likely the easiest
cur speedily and efficiently. with a timeline for conclud- to study: eight boxes of pa-
The progress comes just ing the privilege review per documents.
days before U.S. District once she has received The majority of what was
Judge Kimba M. Wood enough of Cohen’s elec- seized, though, was con-
will preside over a fourth tronic property. tained on over a dozen
hearing resulting from Mi- In a letter to the court on electronic devices, includ-
chael Cohen’s efforts to Friday, Cohen’s lawyers ing computers, cellular
gain influence over what indicated they were en- phones and an iPad. The
potential evidence seized couraged by the system paper documents, num-
in the April 9 raids can be that was set up, noting the bering in the hundreds or
In this April 26, 2018 file photo, Michael Cohen leaves federal deemed subject to the “careful review procedure thousands, were processed
court in New York City. privilege and blocked from that is currently being over- over a two-week period,
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) the view of criminal pros- seen by the special mas- enabling criminal prosecu-
By LARRY NEUMEISTER investigators are getting ecutors. Prosecutors say ter.” The letter was filed as tors in recent days to begin
Associated Press their first look at materials they are investigating pos- they sought to exclude Mi- scrutinizing raid materials
NEW YORK (AP) — Criminal gathered from raids on the sible fraud as they study chael Avenatti, an attorney for the first time.q