A GROUP of people chased a knife-wielding man through the city yesterday after another man was stabbed in the stomach in Adelaide's Rundle Mall.

The attack, which occurred about 1.30pm in front of shocked shoppers in the city's premier shopping strip, left a 41-year-old man with multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen.

Witnesses pursued a man, who was armed with a knife, through city streets and he was reportedly detained a short time later in the grounds of Adelaide University.

Students at the campus said they heard loud screams before police arrived on the scene.

"It was pretty shocking," one student said.

"We were just sitting here and then heard a lot of shouting and then the police ran through.

"It's not a common thing but when it happens it reminds us to not walk around too much on our own and make sure we're with our friends."

Student Angela Jou, 22, was studying when she heard yesterday's scuffle in the usually quiet University Hub.

"It's a bit scary on a Sunday," she said.

"It's the second incident in and around uni this week.

"You definitely wouldn't expect this sort of thing to happen on campus. You think it's a safe place," she said.

"There's a lot of people quietly sitting and studying, so it is a bit scary."

Police confirmed the two men involved in yesterday's incident were not students at Adelaide University. They were continuing to investigate the attack and were interviewing witnesses.

The wounded man was taken by ambulance to Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment and he was in a stable condition.

Police later charged a 42-year-old Northfield man with one count of aggravated assault causing harm and one count of aggravated assault.

He is expected to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court today.

Last Thursday, a man allegedly attempted to sexually assault a woman at the nearby footbridge. A 31-year-old man has since been charged with assault with intent to rape and has been refused bail.

Other students who saw yesterday's events unfold said they had been warned by parents and the university to take extra caution in the area after last week's alleged attempted sexual assault.