The stabbing happened around 4:30 p.m. in the 200 block of North State Street, Chicago police said.
The victim was treated by first responders just south of where he was stabbed after he dropped to the ground in the middle of the street in front of the Chicago Theater and ABC7's State Street Studio.
The 30-year-old male victim was in a verbal altercation with another man he did not know when he was stabbed in the back by a sharp object, police said.
An exclusive video captured on ABC7 security camera show the man running toward police after the violent attack. He could be seen falling to the ground in pain with a stab wound hidden underneath his clothes.
One witness told ABC7 they saw the man running down State Street, yelling that he had been stabbed.
"He fell to the ground and his sweater opened, and it was covered in blood," a witness said.
The witness, a woman who asked to not be identified, said she was leaving her job when she saw the man running down State Street and yelling for help.
"It was shocking," she said. "I was like, 'Not in my city. I can't believe this.'"
The area of State and Lake is typically bustling with a lot of people during the afternoon, but that did not stop a violent attack from unfolding in broad daylight.
He was taken to Northwestern Hospital and was initially listed in critical condition, Chicago fire officials said. Police later said the victim was in "fair condition."
An ABC7 crew respond to the scene within seconds, and saw the victim seemingly conscious while being loaded into an ambulance.
Carla Garcia got off at a nearby train stop right after the stabbing and spoke to ABC7 about the chaotic scene.
"It's really scary because I didn't expect to see a man laying down there," Garcia said. "It's weird because it's right in front of the Chicago Theatre in a very public open place. It's scary, and I hope he's okay. I really do."
No further details about the incident were immediately available.
No information was immediately available about any suspects, arrests or a motive.
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