NEW CASTLE — A man who led police on a car chase that dipped into Butler County was holding a gun to a woman’s head when an officer shot him several times, police said in a criminal complaint.

The suspect, Shawn Hobel, 34, of Ellwood City, was undergoing surgery Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, where his condition was not immediately available.

State police said the chase began in Shenango Township, near New Castle, when police tried to pull over what they considered a suspicious vehicle about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The reason the vehicle was considered suspicious wasn’t immediately explained, though police say the woman in the car eventually told them Hobel was responsible for several unspecified armed robberies in and around New Castle.

The vehicle drove off into Butler County and then back into Lawrence County with state, township and New Castle police in pursuit.

The officers were able to corner the vehicle at state Route 422 and Interstate 376 in Union Township, where Hobel allegedly put a gun to his female passenger’s head and threatened to shoot her.

That’s when a New Castle officer, whose name hasn’t been released, shot Hobel several times in the chest, abdomen and arms, the complaint said.

Online court records don’t list an attorney for Hobel, who has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and several other crimes.

Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa has scheduled a news conference for Thursday to discuss the incident.

Lamancusa didn’t immediately return a call for comment.