SMYRNA, Ga. -- Police are on the lookout for a man accused of stabbing a walker along a well-traveled Smyrna jogging trail Monday morning.
The 67-year-old victim told 11Alive from his hospital bed that he's had to have surgery to repair his spleen after a random jab along the trail along Spring Road turned into a much more dangerous situation.
"I saw a shadow coming up behind me, because the sun was behind us reflecting, and I stepped aside figuring this person's going to walk or run by me and they did," the victim said. "And as they ran by me, they stabbed me in the back."
He told police that the only indication that he'd been stabbed was a sharp pain and the sound of the apparent steak knife handle falling to the ground.
"So, I was just petrified that this blade is still inside me," he said.
He said he remembered the attacker only by a basic description - a black man between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall. The man was wearing black jogging clothes and a black baseball cap.
The knife-wielding man allegedly didn't even stop as he attacked and continued running to the west and crossing the street.
Officers at the scene never found the blade but did find the remnants of the attack - a one-inch wide gash in the victim's back. He was taken to the hospital where he remains now, though surgery for his injury was ruled a success. He also learned from doctors how close a call this stabbing really was.
"I found out today that that had been one inch over to the right, this would have damaged my aorta and spinal cord," he said. "So, in spite of being angry this happened, I feel really could have been much worse."
When he gets out, police are hoping the jogger can help them find more clues at the scene - including the blade that seemingly disappeared.
In the meantime, he hopes to return to his walk - a tradition of almost two decades - but plans to change a few things about his route and be much more cautious. He said he's still in a state of shock about an incident so close to home and worries about his neighbors.
"So, I've been trying to warn all the people I know that use the same path in the morning," he said. "And hopefully our HOA meeting will tip off even more folks as to what I've been through - and to be cautious."
For now, police are still searching for the person responsible.
