A Winnipeg man was stabbed multiple times after he went to check on what he thought was someone trying to break into his garage.

The incident is a "cautionary tale," Winnipeg Police Service Const. Rob Carver said.

"I think the natural inclination is, 'I'm going to go take care of this myself.' It's just a reminder that there are risks inherent with that type of thing," Carver said. "Anyone who's doing a crime may be capable of doing a more serious crime."

Police found a man in his 40s with numerous stab wounds to his upper body when they were called to the area near Belmont Avenue and Jones Street around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The man had gone to his garage to investigate what he thought was a break-in. Two males confronted him and stabbed him, Carver said.

The man was rushed to hospital in unstable condition but that's since been upgraded to stable.

Property crimes fall farther down the priority list of police dispatchers, meaning it can take longer for officers to arrive, and that motivates some people to take their own action, Carver acknowledged.

"I think most people I know, both people who are in law enforcement and just my neighbours, if they heard something, would probably do the same thing," he said, but this shows there is a real risk involved.

Police asked anyone with information about the stabbing to call 204-986-6219 or contact Crime Stoppers.