Police Chase Ends in Gunfire Near Capitol

 WASHINGTON—A woman with a child in her car crashed into security posts near the White House and fled across town to Capitol Hill, prompting a police chase that ended in gunfire near the U.S. Capitol complex.

Congressional and Supreme Court offices were placed under a temporary lockdown while police responded. A police officer was struck and injured by a vehicle and the woman was gravely injured, law-enforcement officials said. MedStar Washington Hospital Center said it had received two patients from Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, but didn't describe their condition.

Initial reports reviewed by law-enforcement officials suggest the woman didn't fire a weapon at the officers, but may have been fired upon because law enforcement responding to the scene saw her using her vehicle as a weapon.

WSJ's Patrick O'Connor joins the News Hub to provide details on the shooting that occurred near Capitol Hill. Photo: Getty Images

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine said police were treating the incident as an isolated event. "We have no information the incident is terrorism related," Mr. Dine said.

The incident began at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near the White House, when a car slammed into posts that prevent vehicles from getting close to the White House. The car drove away quickly, and police officers chased after her, according to law-enforcement officials.

Capitol Police broadcast an alert for people working in the complex to remain locked in their offices. "There is a report of gunfire on Capitol Hill," the alert being broadcast on loudspeakers said. "Shelter in place."

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D., Va.) was on a balcony on the south side of the building and said he heard what he thought were seven or eight gunshots in rapid succession. Shortly after the lockdown began, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a message via Twitter saying, "All Members and staff, we are in temporary lockdown as Capitol police work quickly to secure the area. Please stay safe."

Regina Romero, 54 years old, was taking pictures outside the Capitol when she heard 10 to 12 shots fired, she said, and saw police chasing a black car. Then she heard a loud explosion she said sounded "like a bomb." Ms. Romero said she didn't know whether the noise had been the sound of the car crashing or an explosion. The event lasted about three minutes, she said.

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Police gathered on the street outside Capitol Hill.

When she heard the shots, "I was kind of scared—I heard what happened a couple weeks ago," she said, referring to the September shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. Ms. Romero is visiting Washington from Sacramento, Calif., with her husband.

Matthew Jacobs, 26, a tourist from Wellington, New Zealand, said he saw a black car "try to get through a barrier" at the White House, knocking a man over in the process. "Cops started ringing up and chasing away," Mr. Jacobs said. The man who ended up underneath the barrier didn't appear seriously injured, he added.

A video aired by broadcast networks credited to Alhurra, a U.S. government-owned Arabic-language satellite channel, shows a black car stopped by police abruptly pulling away from police as officers opened gunfire. The driver tried to evade police, speeding around a traffic circle on the west side of the U.S. Capitol and attempting to drive away.

A White House official said President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident. White House staff are in touch with law enforcement and monitoring the incident, the official said.