Police say a man allegedly trying to start fights in the downtown area was stabbed by another man on Sunday afternoon.
The 35-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen with a folding pocket knife after allegedly “trying to start fights with multiple people” near Marine and Ferry Way, police said.
“The 41 year old male reported the 35 year old male approached him, challenged him to fight, and then punched him on the side of the head,” Lt. Krag Campbell said in a release. “In response, the 41 year old male pulled out the knife and stabbed the 35 year old male, once in the abdomen.”
Police detained and interviewed the 41-year-old, but released him without making any arrests.
“We did not find a probable cause that a crime had been committed,” Campbell said in a phone interview with the Empire Monday. He added that the case is still under investigation. Alcohol appears to be a factor in the case as well.
Eye witnesses reported the stabbing to police at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
The stabbing victim, who was not on scene when police and EMTs arrived, was located in the 200 block of South Franklin Street and taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital. The man sustained serious injuries, but was in stable condition as of Monday morning.
• Contact reporter Gregory Philson at gphilson@juneauempire.com or call at 523-2265. Follow him on Twitter at @GTPhilson.