A woman has been shot dead after she led police officers on a car chase that ended in gunfire near the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Heavily armed police on every corner, hundreds of police cars, yellow barrier tape. Around Washington’s Capitol reigns of the state of emergency on Thursday. At the northwest corner of the site a battered patrol car, a few meters further is a black car, destroyed. Officials carry a small child away. Red and blue lights flicker, the use of the police.

This scene marks the end of a chase. A chase of one of the most famous and best-guarded building in the world to the other, from the White House to the Capitol of America’s government headquarters to Parliament. At the end of the driver of the black car is dead, two injured policemen. And a one year old child who lost his mother.

How could this happen? Quarter past zwei clock afternoon, a black car of the Infiniti brand approaches the White House over access in the southeast corner of 15 Street and E Street. It is a busy area, many tourists catch a glimpse here of the estate, next door is the Ministry of Finance, a few meters away are Washington’s precious hotel. The driver, it reports later, several witnesses  was followed a few vans that passed the check at the White House. Did she possibly even?

Then the situation is out of control: Secret Service personnel have knocked against the side window, officials moved for safety reasons a barrier behind the car. Then the woman had turned to everyone’s surprise and had driven into the guardrail – though still behind the Secret Service man standing, but who had to save. The barrier fell, the woman had stopped for a moment. But then it was at around 50 km / h, the Pennsylvania Avenue booted, several police cars were in pursuit.

Capitol Shooting:Chase through Washington’s Center

It comes to a hunt just about those miles on the America every four years celebrates the inauguration of its president. The driver controls to the Congress building. Only the White House, now the Parliament? What of the woman? For weeks, you have to know the situation in Washington is particularly tense. The end of September killed the gunman Aaron Alexis on a naval base in the town of twelve people, and since the beginning of the government shutdown, the government shutdown on the night of Tuesday, the authorities fear quite attacks on members of Congress.

And now raging on this Thursday afternoon the black car at the Congress. At the foot of the building, the police can stop him for the first time, several officers run with guns drawn on the car. So it show amateur video footage (see the pictures here).

But the driver does not arise, is back with the car and escapes one more time The police then opened fire. Shortly thereafter, they can then be stopped on the north west side of the Capitol. The woman is dead in the car, the officers found a one year old child. According to CNN, the fugitive had no weapon with him, two officers were injured. But none of them was wearing a bullet wound.

Why merely fled the woman? The car, as reported later, the “Washington Post”, “was admitted to the 34-year-old Miriam C. from Stamford, Connecticut. So what’s behind it?” An isolated case “that was well said Kim Dine, head of the Capitol police. A terrorist act no, it was no evidence so far.

So a tragic accident? A woman who has made suspicious by minute by minute panic reactions? Unclear so far. The Republican Congressman Michael McCaul and safety politician told CNN that authorities suspected that volatile woman might have had mental problems. He learned this from several sources. Also, Cathy Lanier, the Chief of Police Washington says at the press conference outside the Capitol in front of her appears not all as simple accident. Finally, it was a long flight, “I’m pretty sure that this was not an accident,” she repeated. Now the investigations would have to be awaited.

One at least seems clear already at this early stage: A dead unarmed mother – that could provide the authorities before awkward questions. Hardly a coincidence that representatives of all agencies involved in the investigation – the FBI, Secret Service, local police – for a first press conference always stressed that all forces would behave properly: “The officer did exactly what they should,” said Lanier and they had “acted heroically.”

The Capitol grounds for competent police officers currently receive because of the shutdown as federal employees do not pay. When the MPs in the House learned of the chase ended at her door, she stood up all together to a standing ovation for the police officers.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in turn, followed the events at the White House. At noon he had just returned from a speech presence in neighboring Maryland, where he attacked top Republican John Boehner because of the ongoing government shutdown.

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