ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A man running from police in St. Augustine early Thursday morning crashed a car into a barrier at Flagler College, and abandoned the flaming vehicle before disappearing.

A bouncer at the Dunes Cracker House, a restaurant and bar in St. Augustine Beach, called police and reported a group of people were standing around outside the bar with knives.

When police tried to approach one of the men, officers said he got into a car and sped off, trying to run over one of the officers.

"The officer ordered the person out of the car. He did draw his weapon and ordered him out of the car. The man refused to get out of the car, and at that point he started the vehicle and drove toward the officer," said St. Augustine Beach Police Assistant Chief Joni Mathis.

The man drove across the Bridge of Lions and sped westbound down Cathedral Street before crashing into a barrier outside the Hotel Ponce de Leon, which houses women's dormitories at Flagler College.

The man bailed out of the car. Police said they don't know his identity and he was still at large.

Officers said they were working to determine whether the wrecked car had been stolen.

"It could have been a lot worse than it was, but the officers kept cool heads. They did what they're supposed to do per policy. They set up a perimeter and did everything they could to find the guy. We are going to do a follow-up investigation. Obviously, we hope to make an arrest," Mathis said.

The Dunes Cracker House was also the scene of a stabbing at around the same time, police said.

One woman was cut in a dispute. A friend drove the victim to Flagler Hospital, where she was recovering.

It is not yet known if the two incidents are related, but the Dunes Cracker remained closed Thursday as police said the blood inside was a biohazard.