Two University of Minnesota students were robbed and stabbed early Monday just outside the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, according to Minneapolis police.

The women, who are roommates, were walking home from downtown around 12:15 a.m. when a masked man began following them, Minneapolis police Sgt. Jesse Garcia said.

As the women stopped at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue East and University Avenue Northeast, the man grabbed one of them by the waist, held a knife to her throat, and demanded money, Garcia said.

The roommates gave the man a small amount of money, Garcia said. One screamed, and the suspect stabbed the woman he had grabbed in the back. He slashed the second woman in the arm and cut her brachial artery, Garcia said.

Both women were in stable condition at Hennepin County Medical Center as of Monday afternoon.

The first woman, who was stabbed in the back, used her shirt to apply pressure to her friend’s wound until police arrived with a tourniquet. Garcia said that help may have saved the woman’s life.

The suspect fled when a witness saw the incident. Police are reviewing nearby surveillance footage in search of evidence, Minneapolis police spokesman Scott Seroka  said.