Female driver in black Lexus tries to ram White House, police chase her towards Capitol building where shots were fired

A WOMAN driving a black Lexus tried to ram through a White House barricade then led police on a chase that ended in gunfire outside the Capitol.

Tourists watched the shooting unfold on Constitution Avenue outside the Capitol as politicians inside debated how to end a govement shutdown. Police quickly locked down the entire complex for about an hour, and both houses of Congress went into recess.

The pursuit began when a car tried to ram a security barricade blocking the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the case by name and insisted on anonymity.

It started at 2:18pm when the woman in a black Lexus tried to breach White House security at 15th St.

She did not get through and was chased at high speeds for about 12 blocks towards the Capitol.

Her car hit a Capitol Police vehicle at Second St and Constitution Ave and then crashed into barricades a few blocks away. Fox News reported that the woman was shot and killed.

Pictured: A neighbor has confirmed to MailOnline that this is Miriam Carey, the woman who is believed to have been shot dead by Capitol Police

Carey is reportedly a 32-year-old dental hygienist who lived in Stamford, Connecticut

People run for cover as police converge to the site of a shooting on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

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.

Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer said a woman was driving the car and had a child with her. Mr Ofori-Attah said the child appeared to be about 2 to 3 years old.

Mr Gainer said the child was taken to a hospital.

It is not believed to have been a terrorist attack.

People take cover as gun shots were being heard at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

A police officer was injured in the traffic accident but Mr Gainer said the injuries were not life threatening.

"We heard three, four, five pops," said Senator Bob Casey, who was walking from the Capitol to an office building across the street. Police ordered Senator Casey and nearby tourists to crouch behind a car for protection, then hustled everyone into the Capitol.

"There were multiple shots fired and the air was filled with gunpowder," said Berin Szoka, whose office at a technology think tank overlooks the shooting scene.

There were fewer tourists and staffers around the area due to the govement shutdown.

The shooting comes two weeks after a mentally disturbed employee terrorised the Navy Yard with a shotgun, leaving 13 people dead including the gunman.

Police run after shots fired were reported near 2nd Street NW and Constitution Avenue on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Before the disruption, lawmakers had been trying to find common ground to end a govement shutdown. The House had just finished approving legislation aimed at partly lifting the govement shutdown by paying National Guard and Reserve members.

People standing outside the Supreme Court across the street from Congress were hurried into the court building by authorities.

The White House also was briefly locked down after the incident at Capitol Hill and the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the compound was closed to pedestrians. Secret Service said the procedures were precautionary.

Seen from the US Capitol, tourists flee as Capitol Police are seen outside of the Senate side of the Capitol.

Tourists are kept away from the north side of the White House in Lafayette Park across Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC.