A postal worker who tried to stop an armed man suspected in a Southeastside bank robbery was shot in the face Thursday, police said.

Officers arrested the suspected robber a short time later when his sport utility vehicle crashed after a brief chase.

Kim Yates, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Indianapolis, identified the wounded man as Robert Norman, 54, a letter carrier with 29 years of experience assigned to the Wanamaker Branch.“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” Yates said. “We’re wishing for his speedy recovery.”Norman was in stable condition Thursday at Methodist Hospital. His family declined to comment.The robbery happened about 3 p.m. at the Chase branch at Southeastern and Northeastern avenues.Several customers were in the bank, according to police, when an armed man carrying what appeared to be a rifle and a handgun entered through a back door. The man announced the robbery by firing a shot, said Lt. Jeffrey Duhamell, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesman.At the same time, Norman parked his truck outside the front entrance. As the robber left through the back, Norman confronted him, Duhamell said.“He knew a robbery was taking place. He came around the corner as the robber came out of the bank,” Duhamell said.Norman was shot in the face, and the gunman ran to an SUV.Mike Wetzel, who works at Allied Appliances Co. across the street, was waiting on a customer when he heard the gunshot.“I saw the postman fall, and then the police car came running,” he said.The police car, according to Duhamell, was driven by a reserve officer who was in the area when the crimes took place.As the suspected robber tried to escape, a person driving a vehicle in a nearby parking lot tried to block the getaway vehicle but failed, police said.The SUV went west on Southeastern Avenue with the reserve officer in pursuit. The speeding vehicle crashed into a ditch just west of Franklin Road, and police arrested the driver with guns drawn.“I saw him get out of the car, and he collapsed on the pavement,” said another witness, Bernie Gilmer.The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital.