SEATTLE — KIRO 7 has uncovered more than a dozen prior cases connected to the suspect of an assault in Ballard that happened this past fall – and nearly all of the cases that are now closed were dismissed because he was found incompetent to stand trial.
“I just don’t understand how this is a continued pattern,” said Amber, who says she was the victim of that Ballard assault. “It’s crazy that someone can just keep doing the same thing.”
KIRO 7 began investigating after learning of the Ballard incident. Amber, who declined to share her last name publicly, was walking near her apartment one morning when a man crouched in front of her and grabbed her.
“He squatted down and with his arms reached out,” she said. “I started to say to him, like, ‘Don’t do this. Don’t do it.’ And then he jumped and grabbed me.”
Amber started screaming and was able to pull him with her into the street. A woman driving by pulled up and started honking, which scared him off.
One day after the incident, Amber’s wife saw the suspect’s face posted online and told Amber it looked like the same man.
“‘Oh my gosh, this person who looked really similar to the guy who assaulted you assaulted someone else down the street,’” she said. “I was like, ‘yeah, that’s him.’”
Once police identified the suspect as John Robert Masci, KIRO 7 learned of more than a dozen misdemeanor cases in the city of Seattle alone beginning in 2022.
These cases included charges for assault, trespassing and theft.
KIRO 7 also found one felony case in King County linked to identity theft.
Of the cases that were closed, nearly all were dismissed because Masci was found incompetent to stand trial. Documents show he was ordered for mental evaluation, but it’s not clear what happened after that.
KIRO 7 has been working to determine where the lapse in the system might be that has allowed Masci to be released and re-offend.
Seattle Police directed KIRO 7 to the City Attorney’s Office. We sent four emails requesting an interview, starting December 31. We followed up by phone on January 12 and are still waiting for answers.
“I am a young, fully capable person, and I couldn’t get away from him. What if he had attacked an elderly person or a mom with children?” Amber said. “Why do we have to wait for something like that to happen in order to get these people off the street?”
Jail records indicated Masci was back in custody, booked on January 6.
©2026 Cox Media Group
