The woman who led police on a wild car chase through the streets of Washington DC, from the White House to the Capitol, has been pronounced dead, says Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

Police also confirmed that a toddler, a one-year-old girl, was in the car. The child is unharmed and is under police protection.

Two police officers were injured in the chase. They are in good condition and expected to recover.

An investigation in the incident is under way.

After the chase, police and the FBI quickly sealed off and searched a house in Stamford, Connecticut, believed to be the woman's home, officials said.

The Connecticut-based The Courant sites an unnamed source with knowledge of the investigation in saying the woman was identified as Miriam Carey, 34, a Stamford dental hygienist with a history of mental health issues.

Her black Infiniti had rammed security gates at the White House and police opened fire as she sped off towards Capitol Hill.

The shooting happened two weeks after 12 people were killed and three injured in a shooting at the nearby Washington Navy Yard.

Although the reason for Thursday's incident is unclear, police said it was neither an act of terrorism nor an accident.

The incident began at 14:12 (18:12 GMT) when the driver of a black Infiniti sedan rammed security fencing at the outer perimeter of the White House, police told reporters.

Tourists, congressional staff and senators watched as a convoy of police vehicles chased the car down Constitution Avenue outside the Capitol, where the two houses of Congress meet.

Footage showed the car at one point surrounded by police but the driver managed to escape, speeding around a roundabout and past the north side of the Capitol.

Images showed police pointing guns at the car before the driver rammed a Secret Service vehicle and carried on driving.

There was no sign that the woman had been armed.

Capitol Police briefly locked down the building where lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate were debating how to end the current government shutdown.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!