CAROL ROBINSON
News staff writer

Two Calhoun County sisters led Birmingham police on a car chase throughout the city Wednesday, opening fire with a scoped rifle at officers closing in on them.

The chase ended after about seven minutes when the women ages 20 and 19 crashed through several police cruisers used to set up a roadblock on Interstate 59 at the Fourth Avenue South exit and rolled to a stop on two flat front tires.

Officers with guns drawn surrounded the Cadillac Sedan DeVille and took the two women in custody.

"They had a full box of ammunition and it looked like they were in the process of reloading," said Birmingham Police Chief Mike Coppage. "It appears they were firing through the rear window."

Police officers didn't return fire, the chief said. No officers were injured, but the sisters were treated at the scene for minor injuries and then arrested.

Coppage said the pursuit began at 2:45 p.m. when a narcotics interdiction patrol officer clocked the car driving faster than 80 mph on Interstate 20 near Oporto-Madrid Boulevard.

The officer gave chase. As they neared the Kilgore Memorial Parkway, the women began to slow as if they were going to pull over, but they sped up again as police got closer. They exited onto Interstate 459 where one began firing the .22-caliber rifle and then wound around to Interstate 59 southbound.

Officers there had parked their patrol cars on the interstate, exited them and were in the process of deploying spike strips on the roadway when the women barreled through.

"These folks evidently didn't want to stop," Coppage said.

The stretch of interstate between the Roebuck Parkway and Fourth Avenue South exits was closed for about two hours. Coppage said investigators were trying to gather the scattered parts from the three wrecked police cars to determine whether any of them were actually struck by bullets.

The women were being questioned Wednesday evening but refused to cooperate, Coppage said.

"They're being very tight-lipped about saying anything," he said.

Police did not release their identities but Coppage said the women could face numerous charges, including attempted murder of a police office.

The women had outstanding arrest warrants from Calhoun County, including an auto theft charge, he said. Investigators also believe the car the women were driving was stolen in Mississippi.

"We think there's probably something more involved here," Coppage said.