A man who allegedly robbed a PNC Bank near Brownstown on Thursday morning was taken into custody 40 minutes after he walked out of the bank with an undetermined amount of cash, police said.

Michael Daniel Popalis, 40, no known address, was captured by police in the parking lot of Cloister Shopping Center in Ephrata, about four miles from the bank at 4250 Oregon Pike, West Earl Township police said.

Police followed a vehicle matching that of the robbery suspect's to the shopping center, where officers detained Popalis without incident, police Chief Brian Brandt said.

He said a search of Popalis' vehicle turned up the stolen cash.

Police said Popalis entered the bank at Schaum's Corner shortly after it opened at 8 a.m. and gave a teller a note demanding money. Popalis was given an unknown amount of cash and fled the bank on foot, police said.

No weapon was displayed during the incident, Brandt said.

A bank employee was able to provide a description of a vehicle that was seen in the rear parking lot of the bank prior to the bank opening, police said.

A description of the suspect and the vehicle, a turquoise Ford with bumper stickers, was broadcast to neighboring police departments.

At 8:45 a.m., Ephrata police officers spotted a vehicle matching the description traveling in the 800 block of Dawn Avenue.

The officers followed the vehicle to the 100 block of North Reading Road where it stopped in the parking lot of the shopping center, police said.

Ephrata officers detained Popalis until West Earl Township police arrived and identified him as the suspect in the robbery using images taken from a bank surveillance camera, police said.

Popalis was charged with robbery and theft by unlawful taking and arraigned before District Justice Daniel Garrett.

He was committed to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.

E-mail: jtodd@lnpnews.com