A man has been charged and remains in the custody of Vancouver police after a woman was attacked in her home, tied up and sexually assaulted in a seemingly random attack that was stopped by a passerby who ran into the house to help.

The suspect will remain in custody until his next court appearance, Vancouver Police Const. Brian Montague told The Canadian Press.

There is a publication ban in place, and Montague declined to provide further details beyond saying he expects additional charges to be laid.

Police say the incident happened in the residential neighbourhood of Strathcona around noon Thursday. An armed man apparently chose a home at random, entered the house, and violently attacked a woman inside.

A passerby heard screams coming from the house and ran in to confront the man. That allowed the already badly injured woman to escape, police said.

The struggle between the passerby and the suspect spilled out into the street. Other witnesses joined in and were able to tackle the man and hold him down until police officers arrived to take him into custody.

The woman was taken to hospital with “significant,” undisclosed injuries and is expected to survive, police said.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on the scene. His name has not been released. Police say he was not known to them locally, but he does appear to have a criminal record and appeared to be new to the area.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Penny Daflos