Virginia police take armed woman into custody after 36-hour standoff

Virginia police announced early Thursday that they had taken a woman, who barricaded herself along a busy highway for more than 30 hours, into custody.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, the standoff began about 11 a.m. Tuesday when the woman barricaded herself inside a car in Alexandria, a northern Virginia city just outside of Washington, D.C.

The standoff between the Fairfax County Police Department and the armed woman had reached about 36 hours before she "was safely taken into custody," the department tweeted .

On Wednesday, the agency reported that department crisis negotiators and special operations division members were working to peacefully resolve the barricade.

Police said the highway "will be open soon" after a part of the highway was closed due to the standoff. Drivers had been asked to avoid the area.

VISUAL TIMELINE: Nashville school shooting from break-in to police response

Police spokesperson Lt. James Curry told local outlet ABC7 a team of negotiators was in communication with the woman, who barricaded herself after a brief police chase Tuesday morning.

It was not immediately known why police were pursuing the woman.

"The goal here is to have her come out peacefully and resolve this," Curry told the outlet.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia police take armed woman into custody after 36-hour standoff