An alleged bank robber led police on a multi-county chase and tried to swim for his safety before being apprehended Wednesday afternoon, police said.

A lone man entered the PNC Bank on Tylers Corner Place Drive, near the Meijer shopping center around 1 p.m. Wednesday and allegedly demanded money, said Sgt. Matt Tombragel of the West Chester Police Department. The man did not show a weapon, Tombragel said.

After fleeing the building in a white van, the robbery suspect was spotted by police heading north on Liberty Way in West Chester Twp. and entered the northbound lanes of Interstate 75.

Police began to pursue him with plans to stop him near the Monroe/Ohio 63 exit but the driver exited the highway at the Ohio 122 interchange instead.

From there, the alleged robber led police on a chase through local roads before finally being stopped around 1:25 p.m. near the intersection of Dayton Cincinnati Pike and Shepherd Roads in Miamisburg.

At that point the man allegedly fled the car and jumped in the Miami River but was soon stopped by police, who ordered him out of the water and arrested him, Tombragel said.

Resident Dan Darragh said he saw the chase on Dixie Highway between Franklin and Miamisburg at about 1:15 p.m. Darragh said he saw approximately 10 cruisers in pursuit of the van.

The suspect’s name has not been released yet. The robbery remains under investigation.