A lengthy, high-speed chase involving a suspected bank robber ended about 6:20 p.m. after Pittsburgh police used numerous cars to block in the man's vehicle on the 31st Street Bridge.

The chase began just after 6 p.m. after a report of a robbery at 5:50 p.m. at the National City Bank in the Banksville Plaza shopping center on Banksville Road.

The suspect, driving a small silver sport-utility vehicle, sped through Banksville to Downtown, then headed up Route 28 North into Sharpsburg, then back onto Route 28 headed toward Fox Chapel.

At some point, the suspect drove back onto the southbound lanes of Route 28, with police pursuing him. Police scanner traffic indicated the vehicles were traveling at least 75 mph.

As the suspect continued south on Route 28 -- with a WTAE-TV helicopter hovering above and filming the chase -- he wove in and out of vehicles traveling toward Pittsburgh. At some points, he slowed down significantly to fit between them.

Spike sticks to flatten his tires were thrown onto the road at least twice.

As the vehicle continued into heavy traffic, it appeared as though the suspect was stopping. Four Pittsburgh police officers, with guns drawn, approached his vehicle. But as they got closer, the suspect pulled out and fled again.

One city police officer attempted to ram the suspect's vehicle off the road, but when he cut in front, the police car went off the road, and then flipped over onto its roof. The car landed back on its wheels. The officer was taken to Allegheny General Hospital for treatment of an injured arm.

As the chase continued, a police truck was able to cut in front of the vehicle on the 31st Street Bridge and block him in.

Officers pulled the suspect out, and at least seven of them wrestled him onto the ground. One officer kicked at the suspect, and at least one another appeared to strike at him with a baton. Several officers surrounded him and struck him repeatedly.

A passenger in the vehicle was also taken into custody.

According to police, the suspect in the bank robbery entered the building 10 minutes before closing time. Police said that the man jumped over the counter and got an undisclosed amount of money. He did not show a weapon.

A man matching a similar description tried to gain access to the bank around 5 p.m. Wednesday when the bank was closing, but bank employees locked the door on him.

The man was described as a thin white man with long black curly hair, wearing a blue Notre Dame baseball cap, with blue jeans.