Kalispell Police subdue man wielding knives, hatchet subdued

A 68-year-old Kalispell man is in custody after allegedly attacking another man with a hatchet, throwing a knife at a police officer and stabbing himself in west Kalispell Friday night.

Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset said no officers were injured following the initial report of an assault with a weapon on Two Mile Drive at about 7 p.m.

The suspect, who has not been identified, struck a 74-year-old man in the back with a hatchet. The force of the attack was blunted when the victim’s adult son intervened, Nasset said.

The 74-year-old sustained only minor injuries.

“The son saw the blow coming and deflected it,” Nasset said.

Officers encountered the man as he stood in the center of the road armed with knives and a hatchet, according to a press release from the Kalispell Police Department.

While police attempted to take the man into custody, he threw a utility knife at one of the officers, according to the release.

“He missed him and it hit the patrol car,” Nasset said.

At that point, the man “inflicted several life-threatening wounds to himself with the other knife,” according to the release.

Officers used a Taser to subdue the man. They rendered first aid while awaiting a medical team. The man was treated at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and underwent a psychological evaluation, according to the release.

Nasset said officers determined the man and the victim had been embroiled in a feud, but additional details were limited. He said results of the investigation and mental evaluation will be forwarded to the Flathead County Attorney’s Office for potential criminal charges Monday.

The man had not been arrested, but was being held pending the results of the mental evaluation. Nasset said he’s proud of his officers for reacting calmly at a chaotic scene.

“They did a remarkable job of restraining themselves,” Nasset said.