Transient Arrested in Rape at Costa Mesa Eatery : Crime: The woman, 60, is assaulted at knifepoint in restroom. Manager chases and catches the suspect.

A transient was arrested Sunday on a charge of raping a 60-year-old woman at knifepoint in the restroom of a Denny’s restaurant where she was known as a regular customer.

Night manager Mike Pouliot said he chased the suspect out of the sparsely filled restaurant at 3170 Harbor Blvd. about 3:30 a.m., tackled him and held him down for several minutes until police arrived.

Pouliot said a waitress had found the door to the women’s bathroom blocked and heard cries of “Help me.” Pouliot said he saw a look of horror on the face of the waitress, who witnessed the rape through the partially opened door. He and the waitress tried but were unable to fully open the door.

The manager called 911, then dropped the phone to chase the suspect as he fled the restroom. He said he chased the man, who was wearing pantyhose over his face, across a parking lot before catching him.

The man was “spouting that he was doing this for God. He was spouting that ‘she shouldn’t reject me. I loved her.’ I think he was a very sick human being,” said Pouliot, 36.

Costa Mesa Police Sgt. John Pherrin said the transient, identified as James William Bridle, 23, was arrested and taken to Costa Mesa City Jail, where he was being held on $50,000 bail. He said the suspect and victim did not know each other.

The victim was taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach for treatment, police said.

Pouliot said the woman is a regular customer who comes in twice a week for coffee after late-night music practice in a nearby church. She usually keeps to herself but is known as a “very dedicated Christian woman,” he said.

When the restaurant’s general manager, Jose Cabezas, cleaned the bathroom, he said he found blood all over the toilet, mirror, sink and walls. “It looked like she put up a good fight,” he said.

Pouliot said he contacted the victim’s church. “She’ll need a lot of support,” he said.