Seattle charges man with assault for slapping, grabbing women from Lime bike

The Seattle City Attorney has charged a 24-year-old man with one count of assault with sexual motivation for grabbing and groping multiple women’s buttocks in downtown Seattle last spring.

In each case, he was accused of relying on a Lime rental bike “to quickly effectuate a getaway and make identification difficult,” according to the motion for an arrest warrant.

“The investigation clearly shows that there is a distinct MO involving a man using a Lime Bike or Scooter and grabbing, slapping or groping the rear ends of unsuspecting women who do not know their assailant,” the motion said.

Between April and June 2025, Seattle police said victims reported a number of strikingly similar incidents.

In one case that led to the criminal charge, the victim’s husband was able to capture photos and videos of a suspect after the victim said the man assaulted her outside her home. That woman created flyers and “shared them throughout the community and social media,” according to court filings, prompting other women to come “forward to report similar assaults with a similar suspect,” charging documents state.

In the probable cause certification, SPD Detective Eric Cole said: “I later discovered that there were at least 17 similar cases that were reported to Seattle PD.” The documents go on to list 10 “confirmed incidents” by date and location.

Some of the women reported the incidents directly to Lime as well. Lime told Seattle police that based on those reports they suspended the man’s account on June 17, 2025.

In response to a search warrant the following month, “Lime provided a list and maps of 9 incidents where [the suspect’s] Lime GPS data matched the time, date, and location to the reported incidents,” according to charging documents. Locations ranged from Belltown to Pioneer Square.

A spokesperson for Lime told KUOW: “We can confirm that Lime responded to the warrant, following protocols as outlined in our Terms of Service and our agreements with the city.”

Police said the Lime account holder was listed as belonging to Lakewood resident Harrison Cole Fredrick Brown. He’s charged with “assault in the 4th degree with special allegation of sexual motivation," a gross misdemeanor.

The Seattle City Attorney charged Brown on Dec. 19, 2025. Brown responded to a court summons and was arraigned Jan. 7 and pleaded not guilty.

The King County Department of Public Defense, which represents Brown, declined to comment “as the case is still pending,” as did the Seattle City Attorney’s office.

Brown has been released on $2,000 bail. He is subject to electronic home monitoring and prohibited from using any ‘For-Hire’ bike or scooter businesses.

SPD spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Michaud said he’s not aware of any additional incidents resembling those outlined in this case. He encouraged anyone who has experienced a similar incident to report it to SPD.