Wild car chase ends with suspect shot to death near U.S. Capitol

Washington (CNN) -- She had a 1-year-old child inside and apparently was unarmed.

Instead, the motorist's black Infiniti, according to authorities, itself became a weapon Thursday afternoon, first striking a security barrier and U.S. Secret Service officer near the White House before hurtling down some of the capital's most famous streets, police cruisers in pursuit.

Dramatic video taken minutes later near the U.S. Capitol showed the vehicle backing into a police vehicle before the chase resumed. Gunshots rang through the traffic circle. The motorist was shot by police just a few blocks away.

The woman died. The child was safe and in protective custody. Two officers were injured. Police vehicles were damaged.

And a city heretofore fixated on a partial government shutdown was left with unanswered questions.

Why did this happen? Why did the woman drive away from the White House and toward Capitol Hill?

While U.S. Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine said there appeared to be no evidence of terrorism, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier said, "This does not appear to be in any way an accident."

Officials, who called it an "isolated incident," were tight-lipped about the suspect and did not name her at an evening briefing.

The early hours of the investigation turned northward Thursday night.

A task force prepared to execute a search warrant at the woman's Stamford, Connecticut, residence, law enforcement sources said. Police and bomb squad units surrounded an apartment complex.

Authorities wanted to speak with the suspect's relatives in Brooklyn, New York, but were turned away, federal law enforcement sources told CNN.

The chase created a chaotic scene of blaring sirens, locked-down lawmakers and bystanders hitting the dirt.

House and Senate sessions were immediately suspended, with legislators ordered to take cover and keep away from windows. Police also closed Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

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