The stabbing occurred around 2:20 a.m. at the restaurant in the 6800 block of De Soto Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
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Police said the worker was stabbed after telling a homeless man to use the drive-thru because the restaurant was closed.
The suspect and worker got into a fight, and the worker was stabbed with a knife multiple times, police said.
The employee remains hospitalized in stable condition.
The suspect, who has not been identified, fled the scene and remains at large. Police say he was seen wearing black shorts, white and black shoes and was spotted carrying a camouflage, beige-colored backpack. He was described as approximately 35 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds.
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Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
Ari Ohanian, owner of the nearby Sun Ray Cleaners, says the shopping center where the Jack in the Box is at has multiple homeless encampments nearby.
"We do have homeless, but they're not violent," Ohanian said. "Mostly they are desperate, hungry or probably looking for drugs or money to get drugs."
He says most of the time, homeless people in the area are not an issue but when a problem does happen it can affect his business.