The attack happened at about 11 p.m. Wednesday as the 33-year-old man was getting off of a 9-San Bruno bus at the intersection of Silver and San Bruno avenues, police Lt. Troy Dangerfield said.
As the man exited the bus, five males and three females exited behind him, surrounded him and began assaulting him, Dangerfield said.
The victim was knocked down but didn't lose consciousness, and the suspects stuck their hands in his pockets to try to take his belongings, but the pockets were empty, Dangerfield said.
The man eventually got up and ran to his home nearby. He had been punched in the face several times and had a cut to his left eyebrow, but declined transport to a hospital, according to Dangerfield.
No arrests have been made in the case, and no detailed suspect description was available. The suspects are described only as five black men and three black women in their late teens or early 20s, police said.
Dangerfield said investigators had contacted Muni, which is trying to locate surveillance video from the bus.
The victim in the attack was Asian American, but there is no immediate indication that the attack was racially motivated, Dangerfield said.