Winnipeg police arrested three people after a student was stabbed at St. John's High School Thursday.

Around 1:45 p.m., a group of males, armed with a knife and a baton, confronted a 16-year-old male student in the school parking lot. After a verbal argument, the victim ran away and tried to defend himself, police said.

The victim was knocked to the ground, assaulted about the body and stabbed before the group took off on foot.

Paramedics rushed the victim to hospital in critical condition, where he was later upgraded to stable.

The school went in hold and secure mode, which means the outside doors are locked, but classes continued inside the school.

"Any kind of violence in or around our school is of very high concern," said Radean Carter, spokesperson with Winnipeg School Division.

After searching the area, police found three male suspects at a house in the 300 block of College Avenue.

Two of the suspects, ages 18 and 22, face charges of aggravated assault. The other suspect, age 21, is charged with uttering threats and possession of a weapon.

Police said there might be more arrests to come.