Man Stabbed Twice in Southgate Mall Parking Lot

A man was stabbed twice in the parking lot of Southgate Mall at around 3:00 P.M. on Tuesday evening, July 19. Missoula Police arrived on scene and found what seemed like a domestic dispute.

"They met with a male who suffered what appeared to be a stab wound to the top of his shoulder and also to the thumb on the same side," said Missoula Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh. "He related an account of walking over to the mall and as he was going through the parking lot he saw an ex-girlfriend sitting in a vehicle in the lot."

Apparently the woman stabbed the man, and the situation ended with charges of partner assault and assault with a weapon, but there were other issues that complicated the situation.

"She, at some point, claimed that she was suicidal and was in possession of a knife and began to cut herself while he stood there," Welsh said. "He reported that that he grabbed her arm to prevent her from injuring herself, however, she was able to get free when she sliced his thumb and when he released his grip, she lunged at him and stabbed him with the knife in the shoulder."

Welsh says the woman was taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation before she went to the Missoula County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Despite being stabbed, the man refused medical treatment at a hospital.