A man who attempted to stop someone from breaking into his car this week remained hospitalized Friday afternoon from stab wounds, and his attacker continued to elude police.

A 31-year-old Montgomery Village man was in his Clarendon office Thursday afternoon when he looked out of the window and saw someone trying to break into his car, according to police.

The car was in front of the Pio Pio restaurant at 3300 Wilson Blvd., near the 10th Street intersection.

At about 1:38 p.m., the man confronted the would-be car thief. Words were exchanged, and the suspect ran across Wilson Boulevard. The car's owner chased him. A fight ensued, and at some point the suspect pulled out a knife.

The man suffered stab wounds to his hands, arms, shoulder, front and back, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said. The suspect ran away, and a bystander flagged down a police officer to help the man.

He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he moved from critical to life-threatening condition to currently being in stable condition.

Around the time of the attack, police recieved a call about a stolen white contractor van nearby. Investigators are operating under the assumption that the attacker stole the van, a white 2003 Ford E250 with Virginia tags XRK 6785.

The victim described his attacker as a Hispanic man between 28 and 32 years old, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He had medium-length dark hair and was wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans at the time of the attack.

"We want to urge the public to call police if they witness any type of criminal activity and never recommend citizens approach any type of subject during a crime," Sternbeck said. "This could be a potential result of taking it into your own hands."