SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) - One of the men who thwarted a terrorist attack on a high-speed train in France was stabbed outside a bar in midtown Sacramento, apparently after fight between his group and two others.
Spencer Stone was stabbed multiple times in the torso just before 1 a.m. Thursday and was taken to UC Davis Medical Center with non-life-threatening "but very significant injuries," police said.
"It is believed that the victim was out with a group of friends when a physical altercation led to the victim being stabbed multiple times in his upper body," the Sacramento Police Department said in a statement early Thursday.
The department also tweeted that the incident was not related to a terrorist attack.
"Alcohol is believed to be a factor," the tweet said.
The investigation by police began as a homicide investigation, with first responders initially believing Stone's injuries were serious enough to end his life. However, the airman first class is in stable condition according to an Air Force spokesperson.
At a press conference Thursday morning, Sacramento Police Deputy Chief Ken Bernard said two Asian males suspected of attacking Stone fled the scene and remain at large. But he declined to give further details about the incident or a possible motive for the attack beyond the altercation, citing the active investigation.
"At this point we have no reason to believe Mr. Stone is in any kind of trouble," Bernard said."
Stone, 25, along with his friends Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos foiled a terrorist attack on a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris in August. The attacker, a Moroccan national, stabbed Stone with a box cutter in the melee, and Stone had surgery to reattach part of his hand.
The three lifelong friends received France's highest award, the Legion d'Honneur, for their actions.
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