A 24-year-old man is recovering in Seattle from a stabbing at a Juneau beach party Saturday night, which remains under investigation by police.
Officers were called to the scene of the stabbing, a beach area off Thane Road south of downtown Juneau, at about 11:15 p.m. Saturday. The beach is commonly used for parties, police said in a statement.
The victim, who was in critical condition, was initially treated in Juneau then flown to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. By Monday afternoon his condition had improved to serious but stable, said Juneau police Lt. Kris Sell.
The man was stabbed in the abdomen, Sell said, during a bonfire party attended by at least a dozen young adults. Police haven't determined exactly what led to the assault, but Sell said alcohol may have been a factor.
"We believe there was a confrontation between two males that escalated into this," Sell said. "The confrontation did not happen where all the people were, at the fire; the confrontation happened near the roadway, where the cars were parked."
Police have spoken with witnesses from the party and recovered physical evidence from the scene, Sell said, although no suspects have been identified in the case.
"We are working with a person of interest, but we still need to confirm what his role might have been," Sell said.