An Asian American city councilman in Philadelphia was stabbed by a knife-wielding man who tried to rob him near his home.

According to police Lt. John Walker, the suspect approached Republican Councilman David Oh as he was emerging from his car late Wednesday night.

“The male is saying something to him. He can’t understand what he’s saying, so he engages the male in conversation momentarily,” Walker told the Associated Press.

In an interview with Action News, Oh narrated what happened after a man approached him on a street near his home in the 5800 block of Thomas Avenue.

Oh stated that he heard the man was saying something he did not comprehend at first.

“He mumbled something to me, and I said ‘what?'” Oh said. “Then he said ‘The keys! The keys to your car! Your car!’ And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Was there an accident? Does he need my car?’“

“Then he punched me in the lower rib, which I happen to know what that is. And I said ‘Did you just stab me?’ And he had.”

When he tried to back away, the man attempted to slash him some more. Oh raised his hands to block further attacks but he his arm was slashed instead.

After he heard the thug ask for his keys and wallet, he noticed a car pull up. Several men got out with camera phones and began recording the video of the incident but did not do anything to help.

Oh thought that maybe the men had mistaken the incident as a street fight.

“I saw them recording it, jeering, shouting out,” he said. “But I think when they saw the blood – because there was a lot of blood – I think they got the idea, like, ‘we’re in the middle of something else,’ so they took off.”

Shortly after the thug had fled the scene, Oh was brought to a hospital by concerned neighbors who heard the commotion. He was released from the hospital on Thursday afternoon after his wounds were treated.

The police are now seeking the help of the men who recorded the video to be able to identify Oh’s attacker.

Oh, who was first elected to council in 2011 and re-elected in 2015, is the first Asian-American elected to public office in Philadelphia. He is also the only U.S. military veteran currently serving on council.