A Sikh truck driver was stabbed 17 times at a Wyoming rest stop

A Sikh truck driver was stabbed 17 times in an unprovoked attack by a man at a Wyoming rest stop, local officials said; The incident has raised concerns among Asian American rights advocates, who warn of inflammatory rhetoric directed against truck drivers of South Asian descent.

Officials have not yet determined the suspect's motive, and it is unclear whether the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. The victim's lawyer has called for a full investigation to look into "any potential hate crime or civil rights dimensions to this attack."

Early Sunday, the truck driver - whose lawyer referred to him only as "Singh" - stopped at a rest area on I-80 in Sweetwater County, where a man - later identified as Andrew Bzdak - followed him into the bathroom. According to the arrest warrant, Bzdak allegedly attacked Singh from behind inside the bathroom and stabbed him 17 times with a knife, including two stab wounds to the neck and two stab wounds to the chest.

After the attack, Singh ran out of the bathroom and was later seen on video lying on the ground in the parking lot, according to CNN affiliate KOVR. Singh called emergency services and told them he had been stabbed multiple times. Police officers who responded to the report also observed “large amounts of blood” inside the men’s restroom, in the hallway leading to it, outside the building, and near a parked tractor-trailer, according to records.

Singh was airlifted to Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, according to an arrest warrant for the suspect, Bzdak, and Singh is still recovering from his injuries, according to an update issued Friday by Jasjit Singh, director of legal services for Jakara Movemen, a California-based advocacy organization that serves the Punjabi Sikh community and is representing the truck driver.

The neighboring Carbon County Sheriff's Office later took suspect Bazdak into custody after he allegedly fled the scene in his own truck, according to court records. Officials said a family - who had heard Singh's screams inside the restroom at the rest stop - followed Bzdak as he headed east on I-80 and called police to report the accident.

Bzdak, 44, faces one count of attempted first-degree murder, according to court records. CNN has reached out to the state's attorney's office, which is defending Bzdak, and the Sweetwater County District Attorney's Office for comment.