A 45-year-old Waikiki man admitted to an arresting police officer that he stabbed a 34-year-old man Sunday night at a hostel near the Honolulu Zoo, according to court documents.

Charles Crawford is charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set at $250,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Crawford allegedly made the admission to one of the police officers responding to reports of an argument just after 8 p.m. at the Hale Liu Hostel on Lemon Road.

According to an affidavit filed in District Court, Crawford told police, "Officer, I knew he was gonna come back. I stabbed him."

A witness told police she saw Crawford standing over the victim, Kevin Szal, holding a knife. Another witness told police she saw Crawford choking Szal.

When police arrived at the hostel where Crawford lives, five or six men standing on the building’s balconies told police Crawford "did it," the affidavit said.

Arresting officers said Crawford had blood on his left wrist.

Paramedics treated Szal for stab wounds and took him to a hospital in critical condition.

Crawford’s criminal record includes three felony convictions for burglary, second-degree theft and illegal possession of a firearm. He also was convicted of petty theft and criminal property misdemeanors.