Shooting after police chase near White House

Woman driver and officer injured after pursuit, crash and gunfire near political centre of Washington DC.

A woman tried to ram her car into a barrier near the White House, and then led up to 20 police cars on a chase through Washington DC which ended in gunfire near Capitol Hill.

Police in the US capital said the driver of a black Lexus tried to ram barricades at the White House's entrance on Thursday, and was then chased towards the Capitol area before crashing.

A number of gunshots were then heared and Reuters news agency said that the woman was killed. Capitol Hill police chief Kim Dine did not confirm the woman's condition but said that she was in custody.

The Senate's top security officer, Terrance Gainer, said a child was taken uninjured from the car to hospital. Reports said the child was about three years old.

A police officer was injured in the crash, although his condition was not life threatening.

The Capitol area was placed under a security cordon but the measures were lifted within an hour of the incident.

Tourist Edmund Ofori-Attah said he walked toward the scene, curious about what was going on. "Then I heard the gunfire," he said.

"There were multiple shots fired and the air was filled with gunpowder," said Berin Szoka, who works near the Capitol.

Al Jazeera's Kimberley Halkett, reporting from Washington DC, said that a government shutdown might have reduced the security presence around Capitol Hill.

The US government was partially shut down this week when politicians failed to agree a budget.