Marcus Armstrong, 35, was hospitalized after being attacked with a samurai sword by one of the victims of an attempted robbery in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The man faces charges of burglary and robbery.

The incident happened Tuesday morning when Armstrong tried to rob a couple outside a home in Norristown, Pennsylvania, local police told ABC News station WPVI in Philadelphia.

Armstrong forced his way into the home, where he was confronted by the male roommate, who defended himself using a samurai sword.

"The roommate fought back. He had the samurai sword and attacked the suspect. It was a pretty chaotic scene," Detective Josh Samuels told WPVI.

Suspect hospitalized

Police followed a blood trail from the scene of the attack to where they found Armstrong with a serious wound. He was taken to Pennsylvania-Presbyterian Hospital, where he remains in stable condition, authorities confirmed.

Police said the gun Armstrong was carrying turned out to be a fake.

Armstrong faces burglary and robbery charges, Norristown police reported. Court records show he previously pleaded guilty to robbery in 2011 and vehicle theft in 2012 in Montgomery County.

Victims unharmed, police surprised

None of the alleged victims were injured in the incident.

Detective Stephen Sowell commented that while they don’t recommend people confronting criminals, this case was unusual: “We have a lot of cases where sometimes there are victims and sometimes they fight back. We never recommend it, but this time someone fought back, and the fact that they used a samurai sword… I can’t remember the last time we saw one.”