SALEM — A student on leave from Salem State University was arrested in upstate New York Wednesday night after he allegedly stabbed a female student on a university shuttle bus earlier in the day and then wounded the driver, who tried to help.
Timothy G. Wells, 25, a senior from Woburn, had been sought by police on two counts of assault with intent to murder after the attack Wednesday morning. Campus police informed university officials of Wells’s arrest late Wednesday night, Salem State spokeswoman Karen Cady said.
Authorities and campus officials did not release details of the arrest Wednesday night, except to say that Wells was taken into custody after being stopped on the Taconic State Parkway. It was not clear when Wells will be brought back to Massachusetts.
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Both stabbing victims suffered minor injuries, Cady said.
Wells had taken a leave from Salem State about two to three weeks ago, university officials said. He fled the campus in a 1999 Toyota Camry after the 11:10 a.m. attacks, leading police on a daylong search, authorities said.
University officials locked down the campus about an hour later, after receiving a report that Wells might be headed back to the school. Shades were drawn, lights turned off, and students were asked to sit on the floor away from windows during a “shelter in place” order that lasted from about 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
The Horace Mann Laboratory School, a public elementary school, was also locked down.
“Everyone was pretty scared; everyone was freaking out,” Nathan Hughes, a 21-year-old student from Methuen, said about Wednesday’s attack.
“I got a text walking to class, and all of a sudden helicopters were everywhere,” said Joseph Guarnera, 21, a student from Chelmsford. “This is my first semester. I’ve only been here for two or three weeks, and something like this is already happening? It makes you think twice about who you sit beside on a bus.”
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The female victim, who is not believed to have known Wells, suffered a minor laceration to her hand and was treated at the scene. The shuttle driver, who received a minor puncture wound to the chest, was treated at North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital.
Wells was also charged with two counts of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon in the attack.
The shuttle bus on which the attack occurred is one of several large vans used to ferry students around campus. As police searched for Wells, the shuttle was cordoned off in a campus parking lot, guarded by a university police officer.
Although the lockdown canceled campus activities for the rest of the day, many students said they regarded the assault as a random, isolated crime.
“I think it’s just an unfortunate incident, you know?” said Benjamin Skelic, 22, of Salem. “I understand this can happen anywhere, anytime.”
Besides Wednesday’s arrest, Wells faced another arrest warrant this month when he failed to appear in Salem District Court following an arrest Sept. 3. He was arrested on that date when he was discovered with a 4-inch folding knife on a football field under construction, according to police.
When authorities questioned Wells at Bertram Field, authorities reported, he said he was meditating and trying to become one with nature.
University officials said they intended to reopen the school Thursday morning.
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Globe correspondents Jasper Craven and Melissa Hanson, and John Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report.