Female suspect killed in Capitol chase and shooting; Child removed from car

  Eyewitness News

WASHINGTON (WABC) -- An attempt to ram the White House gates Thursday resulted in a high speed chase to the Capitol and ended with shots fired and a female suspect dead, and a scared 1-year-old girl in the backseat.

Police and hazmat team from the fire department are investigating at the Stamford, Connecticut house of the 34-year-old Miriam Carey. Carey's family spokesperson confirmed her identity as the suspect Thursday night. She may have a history of mental health issues.

Stamford Police say they are awaiting a search warrant from DC, anyone who walks into the hallway outside the apartment is going through a decontamination procedure out of an abundance of caution, but there is no reason to think there's anything dangerous there.

50 people in the apartment building have been evacuated for the night.

The pursuit began after 2 p.m. when the car sped onto a driveway leading to the White House, over a set of lowered barricades. When Carey couldn't get through a second barrier, she spun the car in the opposite direction, flipping a Secret Service officer over the hood of the car as she sped away, said B.J. Campbell, a tourist from Portland, Ore. A chase then ensued and ended up on Capitol Hill.

A 1-year-old girl was found unharmed in the Carey's car. The car is a black Infiniti with Connecticut plates.

Witnesses said at least 20 police cars chased the Lexus toward Capitol Hill, where the car crashed outside the Capitol.

Tourist Edmund Ofori-Attah said he walked toward the scene, curious about what was going on.

"Then I heard the gunfire, and hit the ground," he said.

"We heard shots. They told us to get behind a car," said Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio

"We heard pops that sounded like shots," said Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa.

Police shot and killed Carey just outside the Hart Senate Office Building, where many senators have their offices. Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine said an officer took the girl from the car to a hospital. She is in good condition under protective custody, officials said.

During the chase, one Capitol Police officer and one Secret Service officer were injured. The Capitol Police officer was released from the hospital THursday night. The Secret Service officer is expected to survive.

"I'm pretty confident this was not an accident," said Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier. Still, Capitol Police said there appeared to be no terrorist link.

LINK: ABC NEWS STORY

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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