There’s no shortage of people causing trouble out in public, and even though police are on the clock trying to keep an eye out, someone always manages to slip through and create chaos. In this situation, several Reddit users have been talking about one man who’s reportedly been harassing people across North Seattle, Washington.
A user posting under the name Anwawesome said that multiple people in Ballard, Wallingford, Northgate, and the University District had run into a man who was seen riding the Route 44 bus toward Ballard. According to the summary they shared, the man had allegedly “harassed customers and staff in businesses,” “chased or followed individuals on the street,” and acted aggressively toward riders on buses and the Sound Transit Link. The post also included secondhand claims from others who said the man had “grabbed riders” and “threatened violence.”
Anwawesome made it clear that they didn’t know the man’s identity, whether he had been taken into custody, or whether there had been any recent sightings. They were simply relaying what multiple community members had been reporting.
Another Reddit user, jangleberry112, said they had what they believed to be a direct encounter with the same individual early one morning at Northgate. According to their account, they were getting off the Route 67 bus at around 7 a.m. when they were suddenly grabbed by a man matching the earlier description. “I pulled away and started yelling for help,” the user wrote, explaining that they exited the bus as quickly as possible.
They said the man then followed them onto the light rail platform, prompting them to flee up the escalator while getting their pepper spray ready and shouting for the man to “stay back.” Security was eventually contacted, and staff advised the user to board a different train car. The Redditor added that, based on what they were told while filing a report, “the same man allegedly assaulted another rider before security intervened” at the University of Washington station.
The poster said they filed reports with King County Metro, Sound Transit, and the Seattle Police Department, listing a police report number in their post. They also expressed worry about the increasing number of people dealing with mental health or shelter crises who end up on transit during the colder months.
Readers were shocked that the man had not yet been caught or identified by Seattle police. One user wrote, “He just needs to try it on the wrong person. These stories is what keeps me from using public transportation. It’s a scary world out there.” Others chimed in saying they had also seen someone who looked like the same guy.
Some commenters, however, applauded the Redditors for speaking up and warning the community. One user wrote, “I’m nearly as concerned for the subject’s poor posture while taking up space as I am about his alleged misconduct. Sounds like a scary individual, so OP thank you for raising this to our attention. We could use more Good Samaritans like you!”
