Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Asenjo said the unknown male offender attempted to break into a number of cars in the Kokoda Avenue/Ballarat Road area on Monday night.

"The person has accessed the victim's car and a confrontation between the two has resulted in the injuries sustained to the victim," he said.

"This is a very significant incident which saw a very dramatic escalation of offending, from rifling through cars to committing what was a very serious offence in order to escape apprehension."

Detective Senior Sergeant Asenjo said Hamilton police crime investigation unit investigators and the Warrnambool crime scene unit was "working solidly on this job".

"We have a number of avenues of inquires in relation to forensic evidence obtained," he said.

"We are also canvassing CCTV footage."

Anyone with information or CCTV footage of the Kokoda Avenue/Ballarat Road area tshould contact Hamilton police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Detective Senior Sergeant Asenjo urged members of the community to lock their cars and remove all valuables.

"We need to make it as hard as possible for future offenders," he said.

Earlier, Tuesday: A 19-year-old man is lucky to be alive after he was allegedly stabbed by an unknown person at Hamilton on Monday.

Detective Senior Constable Nick Roberts, of the Hamilton police crime investigation unit, said the victim was at his Kokoda Avenue home when he heard his car start about 8.45pm.

"The victim was at home with a friend when he heard his car, which was parked out the front, start up," he said.

"He has gone outside to find a male in the driver's seat of his car."

Detective Senior Constable Roberts said the victim confronted the man and was subsequently stabbed in the chest.

"The offender has then jumped out of the car and ran off in the direction of Ballarat Road," he said.

"It is believed the offender was wearing a bandanna or something similar in order to conceal his face."

The offender remains at large.

A spokeswoman for Ambulance Victoria said paramedics were called to the property just after 8.45pm.

"One person was taken to Western District Health (Hamilton Base Hospital) in a stable condition with upper-body injuries," she said.

Detective Senior Constable Roberts said the victim spent the night in hospital and was "OK" on Tuesday.

"The victim is very, very lucky," he said.

The detective said the persons were not known to each other.

"This incident is of great concern," he said.

"It is a random and violent attack. It is more luck than anything that the victim didn't receive more serious injuries."

Detective Senior Constable Roberts urged anyone with information or CCTV footage of the Kokoda Avenue/Ballarat Road area to contact Hamilton police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.