Witnesses stop assailant during stabbing attack on Mission Bay bartender

A bartender who was repeatedly stabbed by an assailant in a Mission Beach steakhouse on Thursday was saved when his colleagues and nearby beachgoers intervened, San Diego police said.

The incident occurred when a 42-year-old man allegedly walked into Moe’s at the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Redondo Court around 2:20 p.m. before the restaurant had opened, Officer Anthony Carrasco said.

The assailant then walked into the restaurant’s breakroom and began stabbing the victim multiple times, police said. The attack was only broken up when witnesses intervened and subdued the suspect.

Paramedics arrived and transported both the alleged assailant and the bartender to a hospital with injuries believed not to be life-threatening.

Once released from the hospital, the suspect is set to be booked on multiple charges, including attempted murder, criminal threats and burglary, police said.

A GoFundMe page was set up to assist the bartender in covering his medical expenses, bills and recovery process.

“This senseless act has deeply impacted not only him, but also all of us who care about him and the community he’s such a big part of,” April Diaz, the fundraiser’s organizer, wrote on the page. “Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference.”

Phone calls placed to the restaurant on Friday prompted a pre-recorded message saying Moe’s was closed for the evening.

Details about what led up to the stabbing were not immediately available Friday.