INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Stabbed by a stranger while behind the wheel. That’s what happened to an Independence, Missouri man after he tried to do a good deed.

The man who police say is responsible for the stabbing is also accused in the deadly shooting of a father of three.

The stabbing victim, Doc Paton, and his family are still shaken up by the situation. He said they’re not the only people this man hurt.

“I thought my life was in danger,” Paton said. “I thought he was going to kill me.”

Paton is talking about Tyler Rizer. A 28-year-old now charged with assault and armed criminal action.

Video from Friday evening shows Rizer walking down Paton’s street.

Paton said he was working on his truck at home when Rizer, a man he didn’t know, walked up and asked for a ride to Target.

“He said his car broke down there and he needed a ride back to Target,” Paton said, “and me being a nice guy, I agreed to give him a ride.”

Paton said the Rizer wanted the destination to change a couple times and conversation.

“He kept telling me someone was trying to sell him to the cartel,” Paton said.

While on I-70 near Noland Road, Paton said he tried to pull over, but Rizer jerked the wheel back and grabbed a steak knife from the center console.

“We started to come into traffic right before Blue Ridge and he told me to go around it, or he would stab me if I didn’t,” Paton said, and I went to the shoulder, and I got the car slow enough to where I could throw the car in park, and took the key out of the ignition.”

When Paton got the key out of the ignition and tried to get out of the car, he said that’s when Rizer stabbed him in the chest – twice.

Paton said he still has an open would in his lung. He just wants to go home to his three kids.

Wife Heather said she’s forced to drive the car that her husband was stabbed in.

“It’s hard to want to drive my kids to school in it every day because I know my husband was stabbed in it,” Heather said, “but it’s all we have to drive.”

Heather said after Paton was stabbed, he ran, jumped a 5 foot fence and a neighbor with a shovel chased Rizer away, keeping Paton said.

“I thank him very much for saving my life,” Paton said.

Rizer moved to a different neighborhood near 41st Terrace and S. Osage Street, where he found the Bagsby family.

The probable cause statement sad Rizer grabbed the children and their mom by their necks.

Eventually, Rizer and the children’s father, Juavvion Bagsby, got into an argument, along with the neighbor.

The dad had a handgun. Both the neighbor and Bagsby were shot. Bagsby died.

“You took a man’s life from his kids and his wife and put two more in a hospital where they’re fighting to survive,” Heather said, “and it’s not right.”

That man who Paton credits with saving his life has visited him here at the hospital and brought food to his family.

“It’s kind of awesome to see that there are still good people after a tragic situation with a good thing going wrong,” Heather said. “So, it is good to see that there is good in some people here.”

While Paton was aiming to do the right thing and be a nice person, he has a warning for others:

“I would tell people to think twice about who they give rides to and be very cautious about who you give a ride to,” Paton said. “Stranger danger is real.”

If you would like to help the Paton family, click here.