This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A teenage boy was in critical condition after his friend attacked him with a sword Saturday at a sleepover.

The two boys, both age 17, have allegedly been friends for years and were having a sleepover at the victim's house, near 7000 West and Long Ridge Drive, following a birthday party, said Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell.

The victim collects martial arts swords, and about 6 a.m. his friend picked up one of those swords and stabbed him in the abdomen as he was lying on his bed, Bell said. The blade exited the victim's back, Bell said.

The victim's parents heard the commotion, and his father ran into the room to try to help while his mother called police, Bell said.

When the father arrived, he saw his son's friend attempting to stab him again with another sword, Bell said. The father tried to restrain his son's friend, and had a difficult time overpowering him.

The two were still struggling when law enforcement arrived seven minutes after being called, Bell said. An officer used a Taser on the victim's friend, which Bell said functioned properly but had no effect on the teen.

The officer then had to try to restrain the teen physically. Bell explained that the protocol for medics is typically to wait for the scene to be secure before entering to help.

After waiting outside for some time, he said they decided to go inside and help the officer restrain the attacker.

"By making the decision, they probably saved a couple of lives," Bell said.

They were able to get the suspect restrained and fly the victim to Intermountain Medical Center for treatment. He was in critical condition, but doctors were able to stop his bleeding and expect him to survive.

Bell said police planned to question the suspect to find out what sparked the attack.

"There was obviously something wrong," Bell said, but at the time police had "no idea" what.

Twitter: @mnoblenews