Los Angeles ? Blood gushed from a student’s neck and formed a puddle on the floor of a UCLA lab as instructors struggled to stanch the wound.

The 20-year-old woman was taken across the hall after being slashed in the neck by a classmate, and two staff members quickly applied pressure and put gauze on the wound. Stunned students watched in horror.

The victim, whom police would not identify, went to the hospital in critical condition. On Friday, her family released a statement saying she was showing signs of improvement and was expected to recover.

Damon D. Thompson, 20, was arrested shortly after the attack and booked for investigation of attempted murder.