A man in his early 20s was rushed to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane on Wednesday after he was stabbed in the Wendy’s restaurant parking lot off Division Street just north of the Spokane River.

The incident was reported to police around 5:45 p.m. as a fight, said Spokane police Capt. Brad Arleth. Officers didn’t realize someone had been stabbed until they arrived on scene.

Bystander Michelle Zepp said she didn’t see the initial fight but saw the victim fall to the ground.

“I just noticed he didn’t get back up,” she said.

Zepp, a trained medical assistant, ran over to help. The victim appeared to have suffered two stab wounds.

“I didn’t know it was a stabbing until I got there and saw all the blood,” she said. “He was in and out of consciousness.”

She put pressure on his wounds until paramedics arrived, Zepp said. “I just hope he ends up OK.”

The victim’s injuries initially were reported to be life-threatening, but he had stabilized by 7 p.m., Arleth said.

The suspect is described as a white male in his early to mid-20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and 200 pounds. He was wearing a black baseball cap. Several cars left the parking lot at the same time and it is unknown which one belonged to the suspect, Arleth said.

The incident was likely not random. “We do have some information that they likely knew each other,” Arleth said.