Two men were fighting on May 6 when a bystander inserted himself into the altercation, produced a large knife. stabbed one of the men in the chest and ran off, Auburn Police say.

Medics worked for nearly an hour in a successful bid to save the 34-year-old victim’s life.

And on Thursday, the King County Prosecutor’s Office charged Maurice Lyle Williams. 68, of Seattle with first-degree assault. He is in King County Jail on $500,000 bail, which was the amount the court set at his first appearance.

According to court records, Williams reports being homeless and has admitted to abusing drugs. He is without support or any reference in the Auburn community.

According to the certification for Determination of Probable Cause prepared by the Auburn Police Department, here is what happened.

At 11:15 a.m. on May 6, Auburn Police began receiving calls from the area of 100 Street Northeast, reporting that a man had been stabbed in the chest. When police got to the scene, they found the man on the ground, bleeding from his wound and unresponsive.

Witnesses at the scene told police that the victim had been involved in a fight with another man whom he had punched in the face at least once, before Williams intervened and stabbed the unarmed man in the chest, inflicting a serious, life-threatening injury.

After the alleged assault, Williams told those present they would not see him for “a while.,” and ran off, according to the police write up. According to the report, an eye witness demonstrated to police that the length of the knife was almost shoulder-to shoulder.

Medics worked on the victim for 45 minutes and administered CPR in a successful effort to revive him. Medics then transported him to Harborview Hospital in Seattle, where he underwent at least one emergency surgery. He is conscious and remains in critical but stable condition, according to court records.

Police apprehended Williams within an hour in the 200 block of Auburn Way South, about 3 blocks from the alleged assault, where two eyewitnesses positively identified him.

Court records say Williams directed police to where he believed he had left the knife but they were unable to find it.

According to court records, William has two prior convictions for what appear to be non-felony assaults in 1989 and 1991. He was also convicted in King County in 1986 for second-degree assault.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer L. Phillips asked that bail remain in the amount set at first appearance, arguing that “the defendant is likely to commit an act of violence if free in the community.”