Police left a piece of barricade tape where a Marine was stabbed in the Henoko district of Nago city, Okinawa, May 29, 2024. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)

NAGO CITY, Okinawa — Police are searching for a man who stabbed a U.S. Marine during an altercation outside a restaurant near Camp Schwab on Wednesday night.

The Nago City Fire Department received a call from a restaurant worker at 8:04 p.m. saying a “U.S. military-related man was stabbed by another U.S. military-related man,” a department spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday.

“The [Marine] was stabbed in the street before fleeing into the restaurant,” he said. It’s customary in Japan that some government officials speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

The Marine, an unidentified man in his 20s, had refused to hand over his money, a prefectural police spokesman said by phone Thursday. He suffered injuries to his left shoulder, chest and leg but remained conscious and communicative while receiving first aid.

“The Marine was treated at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa and has been released with minor injuries,” III Marine Expeditionary Force spokesman 1st Lt. Owen Hitchcock said by email Thursday.

Hitchcock did not release the Marine’s name or other biographical details.

The assailant, described as a “6 ½ feet tall foreigner man wearing a black hoodie and pants,” was still on the run Thursday, the police spokesman said. The weapon has not been recovered.

The stabbing happened approximately a half-mile from Schwab’s main gate. Police said they are examining area surveillance footage as part of the investigation.

“We thank the local police, civilians, and emergency responders who ensured the Marine’s injuries were treated and guaranteed safe passage to the Naval Hospital,” Hitchcock wrote. “We will continue to cooperate with local authorities as the investigation continues.”