West Brimfield police on Tuesday apprehended a Springfield man after he stole an undisclosed amount of cash from North Brookfield Savings Bank.

Gary Laviolette, 32, threatened to pull out a weapon, took the cash from the bank and then engaged in a car chase with police, before crashing his vehicle. State police assisted with the chase and deployed K-9 Viktor after the crash, who was able to locate Laviolette in the woods south of Tower Hill Road in Brimfield, where Laviolette was taken into custody.

Laviolette was taken to Harrington Hospital for treatment of  minor injuries, and then transported to the Brookfield State Police barracks to be booked and held.

Police said in a statement that it was due to quick-thinking bank employees that an accurate description of the vehicle and license plate were obtained, which turned out to be crucial in the chase.

Laviolette is being charged with armed robbery, larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, along with other charges. The stolen money was recovered.