--- description: The airman remains hospitalized in serious condition title: Paris Train Hero Was Breaking Up a Fight When Stabbed in California, Witness Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47e2548b37c5d416/698867b30a4a22b2069c67f5/spencer-stone1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Paris Train Hero Was Breaking Up Fight When Stabbed in California, Witness Says  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 9, 2015 7:19 PM CUT  Spencer Stone on Sept. 18, 2015 in Washington. Spencer Stone on Sept. 18, 2015 in Washington.Mitchell Layton—Getty Images  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 9, 2015 7:19 PM CUT The U.S. Air Force airman who made headlines in August after he and two friends stopped an attempted terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train was trying to [break](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/09/us-usa-california-stabbing-idUSKCN0S322U20151009?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews "undefined") up a domestic dispute when he was stabbed multiple times in Sacramento, according to a witness. Eric Cain, an employee at a liquor store near the bar, said a man and a woman who appeared to be dating were arguing outside the bar when the woman hit the man with a plastic bag, Reuters reports. The man then punched her in the face, whereupon Spencer Stone, an Air Force airman, confronted him, Cain said. Stone suffered several [stab](http://time.com/4066534/paris-spencer-stone-stabbed-sacramento/ "undefined") wounds in the altercation that followed. “I saw the back of his shirt. I saw a big red mark on the back of his shirt, and another random person walked by, and I just kinda went, ‘I think the dude got stabbed.” Spencer Stone underwent surgery Thursday for multiple stab wounds and remained hospitalized in serious condition Friday. He’s expected to make a full recovery. Stones attacker has not been apprehended. Stone and two other Americans physically restrained a gunman on a train in France in August, thwarting a planned terrorist attack. \[[Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/09/us-usa-california-stabbing-idUSKCN0S322U20151009?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4068481/paris-train-hero-stabed-fight/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4068481/paris-train-hero-stabed-fight/"},"headline":"Paris Train Hero Was Breaking Up Fight When Stabbed in California, Witness Says","datePublished":"2015-10-09T19:19:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:40:55.721Z","description":"The airman remains hospitalized in serious condition","url":"https://time.com/4068481/paris-train-hero-stabed-fight/","keywords":["California","Crime","paris","Train","fight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47e2548b37c5d416/698867b30a4a22b2069c67f5/spencer-stone1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47e2548b37c5d416/698867b30a4a22b2069c67f5/spencer-stone1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Spencer Stone","caption":"Spencer Stone","creditText":"Mitchell Layton—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4068481/paris-train-hero-stabed-fight/","name":"Paris Train Hero Was Breaking Up Fight When Stabbed in California, Witness Says"}}]}] ```