A fast-food manager was repeatedly stabbed by a customer who refused to wear a face mask.
The savage incident was caught on CCTV whereby the attacker, who is described as a 53-year-old homeless man, appeared to lunge at his victim wielding a knife.
Police are now hunting for the suspect who remains on the run and is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
Officers said the attack with a pocket knife was sparked after the man refused to obey store policy by wearing a mask while inside.
In an appeal League City Police Department said the stabbing took place at a Jack in the Box restaurant in League City, Texas, on Wednesday night.
The man, who was recorded on CCTV, was being escorted out of the eatery before he turned and stabbed a manager.
Officers said that other employees then intervened to defend their colleague and the man ran off before escaping on a bike.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after he was stabbed three times in the arm and upper torso.
Officers said he was 'expected to recover.'
The wanted man was later identified by police as 53-year-old James Schulz who is believed to be homeless.
Under an executive order signed by the Texas state governor businesses and other establishments 'may require employees or customers to wear masks.'
It also allows law enforcement agencies to enforce trespassing laws and to remove individuals who refuse to wear a mask at a business that requires them.
Most US states have introduced mask-wearing requirements in places to help control the spread of Covid.
