You never really know who you’ll run into on a morning walk. For one Seattle, Washington, resident, what started as an ordinary stroll to work quickly turned into a frightening ordeal. According to a Reddit post titled “I said hi. He tried to kill me. Oh Seattle.” written by user Feivel_92, a simple greeting was all it took to trigger an aggressive and dangerous encounter. Feivel_92 explained that they have lived in Seattle for about a year and had always enjoyed walking from Capitol Hill to Montlake, crossing the Montlake Bridge on the way to work. But on this particular morning, that familiar routine took an unsettling turn.
The resident recalled spotting a man who appeared to be homeless sitting near the path, packing up his belongings. “He stared at me, so I nodded at him and mouthed a ‘Hi’ in his direction. Just acknowledging his existence, I guess,” the Redditor wrote.
That small gesture quickly escalated into chaos. The man reportedly became enraged, shouting and sprinting toward the passerby while demanding to know why they had spoken to him. “Startled, I shouted at him to f*** off, taking a defensive stance and moving away from him,” Feivel_92 said.
Things did not stop there. According to the post, the man began picking up rocks and hurling them, yelling in Russian, before grabbing a much larger rock and charging full speed. Feivel_92 managed to escape by running into the UW Medical Center, where the man finally gave up the chase at the doors.
Police were called and a report was filed. The Reddit user described the officers as polite and professional but admitted the response left them uneasy. Because no injuries had occurred, the situation didn’t seem to carry much urgency. “Because the homeless guy was not successful in hurting me, it seemed,” they explained, adding that police simply advised them to avoid the man in the future. “Well, thanks for that advice,” they added with clear frustration.
Reflecting on the incident, Feivel_92 admitted it left them shaken and less enthusiastic about city life. “I made the mistake to acknowledge him, and he tried to kill me for it. My bad, won’t happen again. It does take away some of the fun of living in Seattle, though. For now at least.”
Other Reddit users reacted with shock and concern, saying the story highlights how unpredictable encounters in public can be. One commenter wrote, “My compassion fatigue reached new lows when I found that it was no longer even helpful to throw a smile somebody’s way. It’s an invitation into their world and it is a dangerous thing.” Others cautioned that while it feels cold, it may be safer to avoid interactions altogether with strangers on the street, as there’s no way to know how someone might react.
