A man has been arrested after passengers ran off a San Francisco bus to stop a sexual assault near a busy downtown intersection, police said.

The attack, around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, was witnessed by riders on a Muni bus at Fifth and Market streets. Some of them yelled at the attacker and left the bus to come to the woman’s aid.

The man took off running. Witness descriptions and images from surveillance cameras were disseminated to officers.

Early Thursday, an officer on patrol near Golden Gate and Hyde streets, about half a mile from the attack site, detained a 41-year-old San Francisco man matching the suspect’s description. He has been arrested on suspicion of rape.

The victim, a 60-year-old woman, was unconscious after the attack. She was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover, police said.

In an interview with Fox 2 news, police officer Robert Rueca expressed gratitude for the “wonderful people who stepped forward and did the right thing.”