If only he’d been wearing a sheath dress

updated 6:23 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A man who hid hunting knives in his pants to try to steal them from a western Michigan store tripped while fleeing and stabbed himself in the abdomen, police say.

The suspect was hospitalized after Monday night's attempted theft from a Meijer Inc. superstore in Grand Rapids and is expected to face a misdemeanor shoplifting charge, police say.

The wounds did not appear to be life-threatening, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

The man had put about $300 worth of hunting knives in his waistband, police told WZZM-TV. Police say he tried to leave the store, but Meijer employees confronted him and a scuffle followed.

The man then fell and was stabbed by the knives he had hidden in his clothing, police said. They said it happened about 5:40 p.m.

"The man was taken to the hospital," said Meijer spokesman Frank Giuliano. "We are cooperating with the investigation by police."

Police said the suspect has a record of retail fraud.

"I saw a man laying down on the mat by the carts, a knife by him with blood on the full blade of the knife," shopper Heather Dodd told WOOD-TV. "It was not a dull kitchen knife or a sharp butcher's knife, it was somewhere in between.

"Someone was holding him down so I just walked around him, grabbed my cart, made sure everything was OK and got out of the way."

More from msnbc.com When's Palin leaving? Take our weekly quiz Looking at China unrest from Mongolian perch Adventures in Cancerland: Lust for life Red Tape: Credit card firms' new squeeze Elkhart Blog: Making sure health care isn't casualty

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

‘Haunted’ Milwaukee hotel scares MLB teams Tot plays hide-and-seek much too well It's not slang! Nev. court permits ‘HOE’ license Iowans rethink Jackson butter statue Cops: Man went naked to dental appointment Turtles on runway delay flights in New York Drunken man shocks Spain with his generosity Drunken badger disrupts traffic in Germany Half-naked motorist to cops: I lost my pants Teacher sorry for mock wedding to 4th grader Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: