A Jonesboro, Ark., man staged a date-night attack to impress a woman but later confessed to police after the tactic backfired.

Jeffery Tyler Siegel, 26, and his date told police that they had been walking near the lookout pavilion at Crowley's Ridge Nature Center on Saturday night when they were attacked, ABC News affiliate KAIT-TV in Jonesboro reported.

According to KAIT, Siegel and his date told police that the assailant, who was wearing all black and carrying a large knife, came out of the woods and told Siegel: "You can go, but your girlfriend stays."

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The woman ran. Siegel claimed he had been slashed by the assailant but managed to fight back and overpower the man, kneeing him in the stomach before he fled.

Police searched the park for hours but did not find the attacker. Investigators grew suspicious of Siegel's story after his date told them something was "not right that night" and that Siegel had been sending texts right before the attack occurred, KAIT reported.

Police called Siegel in for an interview. The police report indicated Siegel seemed nervous, and when Detective Mike Branscum told him he would not face charges if he told the truth, Siegel confessed that he'd asked a friend to attack him at the park, KAIT reported.

Siegel told the detective he "really liked" the woman and "felt that if he did something like this it would help him with his chances with her," the affiliate reported, citing the police report. KAIT also reported that Siegel said he did not intend on "it going this far, and he did not plan on the police being notified. … It just really got out of hand very fast."

KAIT said Siegel's injuries were self-inflicted to make it appear as if he'd been cut.

Police did not charge Siegel and considered the case closed, KAIT reported on Tuesday.

ABCNews.com could not immediately reach Siegel for comment.

His date, who was not named, told KAIT that she didn't believe Siegel's actions were heroic, and that they would "no longer be speaking after this incident."