A bank robbery suspect is dead tonight, after being shot by South Bend Police. Around 2:20 p.m. Friday afternoon, police say a man robbed the First Source Bank on Portage Road, that's on South Bend's northwest side. When police chased the suspect down, they say he attacked them with a knife. Police then shot him. The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police say they had no choice but to shoot the suspect because he was going after them with a knife. Bank officials told police the suspect looked like the same man who robbed their bank just last week.

The man got away with some cash and a dye pack. As the suspect left the bank at least four police officers chased him. The pursuit ended in the Calvary Baptist Church lot. “He [suspect] stopped, turned with the knife in his hand and he attacked officers. One of the officers was backing up, trying to get out of the attackers 'kill zone,’ gave every alternative to not do what he did and he chose to attack him,” says Commander Tim Corbett, with St. Joseph County Metro Homicide.

Police say two officers shot at the suspect. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Gas station attendant Amber Bashore heard the gunshots and saw the chase moments before. “I stepped outside, saw two cop cars and undercover come running out and a guy was running up over the corner of the grass, shot out that way and then all of a sudden, I started hearing gunshots,” explains Bashore.

Police say the man was shot in the upper torso, but wouldn't say how many times he was shot. “It needs to be perfectly clear that this is an ongoing investigation, but that the officers defended themselves in that attack. When you're being attacked with a knife, that's lethal force... more than enough to penetrate a vest, more than enough to kill you,” adds Corbett.

Although Bashore was surprised by the robbery, she says she wasn’t too surprised with how it all ended. “Hopefully people will realize that you can't do this. You know, it's just not right. I understand the economy, everything is raising in prices, but still, it's just not right for somebody to rob a bank,” says Bashore.

Right now, the names of the officers involved and the suspect are not being released. Police want to notify the suspect's family before releasing names.

The investigation remains ongoing and is in the hands of the St. Joseph County’s Metro Homicide Unit.

An autopsy on the suspect will be done in the next few days.

The last time a South Bend Police officer used deadly force on a suspect was in April 2007. That's when Patrolman Michael Norby shot and killed Scott Barnaby. You may remember that came after Barnaby shot and wounded Norby and killed his partner, Corporal Nick Polizzotto.