This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A food court employee was fighting for his life after being stabbed multiple times at West Valley City's Valley Fair Mall late Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The employee was handing out samples just before 5 p.m. when he was approached by a group of three men and stabbed seven or eight times in his side and back, West Valley police Sgt. Robert Brinton said.

The victim, estimated to be between 18 and 25 years old, was in critical but stable condition at a hospital Saturday evening.

It appeared to be an "unprovoked attack," and possibly gang-related, Brinton said. Interviews underway Saturday evening were likely to give officers a clearer picture of what happened, he said, adding that witnesses didn't notice an altercation before the stabbing began.

Two off-duty West Valley officers happened to be working as mall security nearby. One of the male suspects was tackled immediately, while the other two men fled on foot to a nearby apartment complex, where they were taken into custody without incident, Brinton said.

The men — two of whom are 20, one 18 — were booked into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault, authorities said.

Twitter: @lramseth