HOUSTON -- A man was arrested on Monday after walking onto a southwest Houston high school campus and attacking a female student with knives, officials told KPRC Local 2.

Houston Independent School District officials said the 14-year-old was cut at the Lamar High School courtyard on Westheimer Road near Buffalo Speedway at about 8 a.m.

"The individual approached a group of students who were simply standing out here under the oak tree just prior to class, not far from the street," Principal Dr. James McSwain said.

One of the students said, "What's are you doing here?" to the man, officials said.

The man, later identified as Larry Newton, 48, then pulled out two kitchen knives from his pockets, jumped on the student, Katherine Sullivan, and knocked her to the ground, according to witnesses.

"It was really fast. It just happened all of a sudden. It was very scary. I thought I was going to die," Sullivan said.

Three male students then pulled McSwain off of her, she said.

"The students began yelling, calling for help," McSwain said. "The police officer at the other end of the lawn came running, Officer Alford, and he did subdue the individual."

Newton was taken to the Harris County Jail and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

"He didn't say anything. He didn't give the students a reason. He just attacked. This was an individual who appears to be mentally ill. He did tell me that he was mentally ill and he was not taking his medications at this time," McSwain said.

Sullivan received six stitches in her arm.

"I'm still in shock about it. I'm scared. And every day that she walks out that door, I'm going to give her a big hug and a big kiss because you don’t realize how quick you can lose them," said Layne Sullivan, the victim's mother.

"It's not a situation where there's someone out there lurking in the community about to grab your kids," McSwain said. "This gentleman has been taken into custody."

McSwain said people have walked onto the campus before, but nothing has ever escalated into a physical situation.

"We've never had a student, to my recollection, that's been injured or assaulted by someone coming on from outside the campus," he said.

No other students were injured. Classes continued as normal.

Criminal records showed that Newton has been convicted twice of resisting arrest. He was also previously charged with trespassing, but after a psychological exam, that charge was dismissed.