READER REPORT: Followed in an alley

| Safety | West Seattle news

Received tonight from a longtime reader:

Tonight around 8:15 I left Easy Street, walked along Alaska, said goodbye to my friend, and headed North up the alley to my car that was parked in the Northernmost lot behind The Beer Junction.

A man with a black kn95 mask, dark gray cap, dark/gray nondescript clothing, came at me perpendicularly from the first parking lot. I walked confidently, looked at him, and had that creepy feeling. I’m guessing he was 5’8-5’10, taller than me but not by much.

He followed me up the alley, keeping several paces behind me. A woman was walking toward me down the alley. We had a conversation, and after I headed quickly to my car. He followed, and stopped about 6 cars away, semi hiding at the back of a car.

I started my car, and intended on taking a photo of him, but he disappeared.

It was still daylight, and on an Art Walk night!

I just wanted to make people aware that someone is looking to be a jerk, and looking for victims.

Seems like a good time to remind you of two more free SPD-led personal-safety classes coming up:

Thursday, July 17th
6 pm – 8 pm
At the SW Precinct – Community Meeting Room – 2300 SW Webster St
Register here : wsjunction.wufoo.com/forms/r1okt4zf1moho5s

Monday, July 28th
6 pm – 8 pm
Virtual – Teams link to be provided before event
Register here : wsjunction.wufoo.com/forms/rus05xi17w2lnw

Learn more about the class here : https://www.seattle.gov/police/crime-prevention/personal-safety-training

ltmmgm June 13, 2025 (6:38 am)

Always, always be aware of your surroundings, don’t be looking down at your phone, whatever it is it can wait, have your purse (if you must carry one) pulled tightly against your body and again, be aware of your surroundings, trust your gut feelings.

Blbl June 13, 2025 (9:22 am)

Reply

Weird, my husband has never once considered not looking down at his phone for fear of being attacked.
- KM June 13, 2025 (1:10 pm)
  
  Reply
  
  This exactly.
K to the F June 13, 2025 (9:30 am)

Reply

Also take the earbuds out so you can hear your surroundings. Helpful in situations like this or around vehicles, bikes, scooters, etc. stay safe and aware, neighbors!

A June 13, 2025 (7:10 am)

It would be nice if we could have classes for men on how to not harass women, instead of forcing women to have to protect themselves. Including the links at the end of the article seems to foster victim-blaming, as if, God forbid, something happened and she couldn’t defend herself it is her fault for not being prepared.

Orion June 13, 2025 (8:38 am)

Reply

It’s not victim blaming to encourage self-defense—it’s harm reduction. No one ever deserves to be attacked, and the blame always lies with the attacker, not the victim. But just like we teach people to lock their doors, avoid dangerous areas at night, or look both ways before crossing the street, teaching self-defense is about equipping people—especially women—with tools that can help them stay safer in a world where threats unfortunately exist.Blame the attacker. Empower the potential victim. Those things are not mutually exclusive.
Jeff June 13, 2025 (9:30 am)

Reply

The number of people who are creeps/criminals strictly because they never took a class on how to not be one has got to be vanishingly small.

RL June 13, 2025 (8:02 am)

+1 to any and all self-defense classes. That being said, let me make sure I’m reading this correctly. You were walking to your car when someone… also walked to their car? In broad daylight? Girl. I’m examining this story with a microscope to determine whether this dude did literally anything wrong other than give you a “creepy feeling” and I’m coming up empty.

AintNoOneGotTimeForYou June 13, 2025 (8:51 am)

Reply

Yeah! She should’ve slowed down and let him attack her before posting this! Because nothing bad ever happens in daylight! Take self-defense classes but then don’t use the part where they teach you situational awareness or to identify potential threats! And screw letting others know, you’re supposed to be scared in silence everyone knows that!
k June 13, 2025 (10:11 am)

Reply

It wasn’t just the creepy feeling, she stopped to talk to someone and he maintained his distance rather than passing her and continuing to his car. When she got to the lot, he hid behind another car. Those are creepy actions.

Julia June 13, 2025 (8:41 am)

Virtually no one needs to be wearing a mask while walking alone outside. And a cap covering their head? I go with creepy. Also, haven’t there been a couple of attacks in that area recently?

Blbl June 13, 2025 (9:27 am)

Reply

Wow! So wearing a KN 95 outside is now evidence that you are a criminal? Good to know. Gonna suck when those fires get worse this summer. And God forbid there’s a chill in the air and I wanna put on a cap. I might as well just turn myself in now.
DC June 13, 2025 (10:20 am)

Reply

Masks help people with allergies. During the pandemic, it was revelatory for many people with allergies that wearing a mask allowed them to go outside without coughing and sneezing.

aa June 13, 2025 (9:53 am)

I’ve read this post a few times and don’t see where they indicate their gender. Did I miss it! The gender bickering in the comments make me think you are assuming its a woman.

Brian June 13, 2025 (10:12 am)

Stories like this should only be published if there’s a relevant SPD report to go with it. It just reads like someone saw a Scary Man Outside.

WSB June 13, 2025 (12:25 pm)

Reply

We did not label this as CRIME WATCH nor categorize it as such. Following someone is not a crime. The reader thought it was worth an alert and whether you agree or not, I did too, so I published it.
Eric1 June 13, 2025 (2:34 pm)

Reply

Brian, why would you berate someone for a heads up on potential issues. I would not be insulted if someone thought I was scary given that I fit the description of most female abusers (being male). Most serial killers are successful because they appear “normal” so it makes sense to pay attention to that internal sense that something isn’t right. How many young women died to serial killers Gary Rideway and Ted Bundy before the first police report was filed? The funny thing is that I actually avoid following a female for a distance or in uncomfortable places even if it is random – that is, I visit another department if my wife is looking at clothes. And I stop and wait a bit if lone women happen to be just going to the same area of the parking lot. Heck, if given the option, I drive out a different way in the parking lot as well. These are things I have told my wife and daughter to watch for because dangerous males exist. I once got called by my daughter about some guys following her and a friend. It eventually got to some uncomfortable comments while I was on the phone with her. I told her to go into the nearest establishment (happened to be a bar) and explain to the hostess what is happening and let them know your dad is coming to pick you up. Needless to say, they were watched carefully by the staff (they were underaged) and fortunately, the male morons were not so stupid as to remain nearby. I hoped that it was a good lesson learned that random people will provide help if you ask but you have to be vigilant to notice odd activity before bad things happen. In some cases like this WSB note, you can warn others that creeps are nearby so that others are aware of potential dangers. There really isn’t a downside to raising awareness about your 6th sense being triggered.

B June 13, 2025 (10:40 am)

Definitely suspicious behavior. Thanks for posting this so that others are aware. Always trust your gut!

Smart girl June 13, 2025 (12:14 pm)

I never allow anyone to walk behind me. I always step aside to let them go ahead of me.

It’s sad June 13, 2025 (12:52 pm)

It’s really disheartening that someone can’t post their story while sharing resources with the community without being judged, or worse, harassed and belittled publicly. That’s what community is for, and the West Seattle Blog has generously continued to give that to us. There is enough hate and crudeness in the world, please keep negative comments to yourself.

trust-ur-gut! June 13, 2025 (3:12 pm)

For you commenters who question the severity of the “following report”, it’s comments like yours that make others DOUBT their gut instincts. You weren’t there, maybe it wouldn’t freak you out, so good for you!

Maybe, instead you can take note of how this behavior might make someone else feel and learn from that, rather than implying someone might be over reacting. Maybe someday after reading someone’s account of feeling unsafe you’ll think to yourself, maybe I’ll hang back and let that person get to their car so they don’t think I’m following them.

Unfortunately, you’ll probably just remain oblivious to anything except your own reality.

ACG June 13, 2025 (4:11 pm)

+1, trust-ur-gut. Thank you for saying this. Thank you also to the person who sent the alert and to WSB for posting.

Suzanne June 13, 2025 (10:33 pm)

It’s incredibly disappointing but not surprising to read Brian’s comment. The reality is that if you’re female and have never been assaulted, you’re very fortunate.

By the time I was in my 30s several decades ago, every one of my female friends had been assaulted, including me. –Some of us, more than once. One attack here in Seattle (not WS) came close to killing my friend. She was raped at knifepoint after she parked and was walking home to her apartment.

My friend’s daughter was murdered by her housemate five years ago here in WS. She ignored her gut, but other close friends were very concerned and warned her. She lost her life because she wanted to see only the good in him.

Things seem much worse now with social media as another form of attack for some.

I’ve come to realize that for some men, women and girls are prey.

Trusting our gut is essential to our survival. It’s a gift to have our 6th sense, and essential to trust it and act on it.

Concerned Citizen June 14, 2025 (12:05 am)

Can’t we all just agree to watch out for each other if something feels off? And if someone comes to us with fear in their eyes for us to try and protect them? Thank goodness nothing happened to this person giving the account. We need to commit to being here for each other.