The victim of an assault at Manoa Marketplace is sharing his story as a cautionary tale, as well as advocacy for better security at the shopping center.

Tim Stanton, 76, is the longtime co-owner of the Manoa School of Music & the Arts, along with his wife, Carolyn, at the center.

“I was lucky,” Stanton told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I was very, very lucky.”

On Thursday morning, Stanton suffered serious injuries after the alleged assault with what police called a “sharp instrument,” which was an awl from his toolkit.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services treated him at the scene and took him to a hospital in serious condition.

Stanton said he was attacked by an unknown man in the hallway of his school, seemingly out of nowhere. Stanton had brought out his toolkit, which included the awl, to hang some recently received awards on a wall.

He was in the midst of this project when he decided to pause to buy some vegetables from the farmer’s market outdoors, and said he left the back door open.

“Going down the hallway, immediately as I turned left, I was attacked,” he said.

Stanton said he suffered several wounds, and that doctors told him he was stabbed several times on his right shoulder, his left shoulder, and through his hand and his cheek.

He remembers grappling with the suspect and then screaming as loud as he could. That is when the suspect fled.

Stanton described him as about 6 feet tall, with long hair and black clothing, and does not remember all the details, but recalls a pungent odor.

“I’ve come to the conclusion it was a homeless person,” he said. “Almost every other day, there are incidences with the homeless up there.”

Police said they have opened a second-degree assault investigation, but that the suspect is unknown and that no arrests have been made.

The Stantons have run the school behind Safeway at Manoa Marketplace for more than a decade, and have never been assaulted in the quiet neighborhood, he said.

But lately, he said he has noticed growing problems, especially after a neighboring laundromat began leaving its back door open 24/7.

They are asking Alexander & Baldwin, which owns and operates Manoa Marketplace, to increase security measures at the shopping center.

They are also installing their own security camera, thanks to the donation from a student’s family, but would like more to be done to keep the area safe.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine the shopping center would turn out like this,” he said.

“The safety and well-being of everyone at Manoa Marketplace is our highest priority,” an A&B spokesperson said in a writtenstatement. “We have 24/7 security patrol coverage, and our maintenance and facilities teams actively monitor the property throughout the day.

“In response to yesterday’s alleged incident inside Manoa School of Music & the Arts, we are increasing security patrols around the building and working closely with law enforcement on their investigation. We are also seeking assistance from neighboring businesses and residents to share any video footage with HPD. Safety incidents at Manoa Marketplace are rare, and we are committed to a safe environment for our tenants and customers.”