Melb knife attacker cornered victim

A man stabbed by a burglar in his Melbourne store last week believes he was fortunate not to get knifed in the heart or throat.

Ronald Maskell, 35, was opening the rear of his Collins St store last Wednesday when he found a stranger inside rummaging through bags.

Mr Maskell's attempt to push the man out of the shop backfired.

Instead he was chased into the rear of the store, cornered and stabbed in the chest.

But the HP Experience Centre manager considers himself lucky.

"He had four shots at me and only struck with the final blow," Mr Maskell told reporters on Wednesday.

"I could have had one through the heart, one through the throat and one in the face."

The attacker fled when people came to investigate the commotion.

Mr Maskell says he is severely shaken by the incident, but has spoken up to help catch his attacker.

"It is shocking that somebody is willing to use a knife like that so brazenly," he said.

Police have released CCTV of the incident.

The man was aged in his late 20s, about 1.8 metres tall, had a tan complexion and was wearing a blue 1980s-style sports jacket, jeans and white runners.