A 40-year-old man was stabbed in his abdomen while walking in an Ocean Beach alley with his girlfriend and his attacker, a bearded transient, got away, police said.

The stabbing in the north alley of the 4900 block of Saratoga Avenue was reported just before 2:30 a.m., Thursday, according to San Diego Police Officer Dino Delimitros. The wound was not life-threatening, he said in a statement.

The motive was unclear, though words were spoken between the assailant and the couple just prior to the stabbing, Delimitros said.

Police were looking for a homeless man with a full beard wearing a red Hawaiian shirt and shorts.

—City News Service