CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A man who stopped a woman from attacking his girlfriend in Chula Vista Friday, and then was stabbed by another man, was recovering from stab wounds and the woman was under arrest, but the stabber was at large, police said.

A 19-year-old woman and her 20-year-old boyfriend were walking to a Mexican restaurant near Broadway and H Street about 1 a.m. when Gena Ree Osborne, 25, allegedly attacked the woman for no apparent reason, said police spokesman Bernard Gonzales.

The man pushed Osborne away, then had to restrain her to halt the aggression.

At that point, two men and two women surrounded the scuffling trio and began taunting the boyfriend, apparently believing he was the aggressor, according to Gonzales.

The couple tried to defuse the situation by walking south on Woodlawn Avenue, but the two men and two women followed, and the boyfriend and one of the men began fighting.

When the fight ended, the man left with the others in a black Acura sedan, Honda Accord or similar car.

At that point, the boyfriend realized his shirt was soaked in blood, and flagged down patrol officers, who called paramedics, Gonzales said.

The young man was taken to a trauma center, where he underwent surgery for at least one stab wound. Though he had suffered damage to internal organs, he is expected to survive.

As police questioned witnesses, Osborne allegedly became belligerent and kicked a uniformed officer in the upper thigh.

She was arrested on suspicion of assault and taken to Las Colinas women's jail in Santee.

The stabber, who appeared to be in his 20s, and his cohorts remained unidentified Friday afternoon, and investigators had only vague descriptions to go on, according to Gonzales.