Two sought in stabbing

A transient who was reportedly stabbed Wednesday stumbled into a Kalispell business Thursday and collapsed.

Flathead County Sheriff's Office is investigating the assault on the 45-year-old man, whose condition was unknown Thursday evening.

Thursday evening, the sheriff's office broadcast a description of two people wanted for questioning.

Sheriff Jim Dupont said the man was reportedly attacked Wednesday near the river on the strip in Evergreen. He reportedly showed up at Papa Johns Pizza on East Idaho Street Thursday afternoon and toppled over.

Kalispell Fire Department's ambulance took the man to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for multiple stab wounds to the abdomen. Dupont said the man was believed to need surgery.

Sheriff's deputy Lance Norman said six officers were involved in the investigation Thursday night. He said he is aware of a possible motive for the attack, but did not want to comment on it yet.

Detectives and patrol officers searched the river banks and bridge near Wal-Mart off U.S. 2, where transients have built a kind of community for drifters that is used mostly in the summer. An area was taped off as a crime scene and sheriff's posse members were positioned there to keep people out overnight.

Sheriff's detective Pat Walsh collected evidence and talked to people who might have been witnesses.

Dupont said Thursday night that it seemed the victim's assailants were also transients.

If the man survives and his attackers are found, they could be charged with attempted homicide - a crime that carries a penalty of up to 100 years in prison. If the victim does not survive, the charge could be deliberate homicide, which carries the same prison term.