The incident happened on Interstate 59 west of Birmingham, police said.
Four people were injured in a “shooting” Friday afternoon on a busy highway in Birmingham, Alabama, police said.
A woman considered a person of interest is in custody, police said.
The incident happened southbound on Interstate 59 at the 20th Street Ensley exit around 4:40 p.m. local time, Birmingham police said.
The shooting allegedly stemmed from a confrontation over a suspected stolen vehicle, Birmingham Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.
“We believe a group of individuals saw their vehicle stolen, or vehicle suspected stolen, and they began following that vehicle,” Fitzgerald told reporters at a press briefing.
“This party saw their possible vehicle stolen and they took it upon themselves to confront this group. A shootout ensued between the two groups,” he continued.
Four men were shot, all involved in the city, Fitzgerald said. No bystanders were injured, he said.
Responding officers found two men at the scene whose lives were believed to be in danger, Fitzgerald said. They were traveling in the allegedly stolen vehicle, which was disabled during the shooting, he said. Birmingham Fire & Rescue transported them to UAB Hospital.
The other two gunshot victims were self-transported to UAB Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Fitzgerald said.
All four shooting victims are considered suspects, Fitzgerald said. Their ages were not immediately available.
The person of interest is believed to have been part of the group that confronted the allegedly stolen vehicle, he said.
Police do not yet know how many shots were fired.
“It was a big shootout,” Fitzgerald said.
Both parties are believed to have traveled to Birmingham from a nearby city, according to Fitzgerald, who declined to identify the city at this time.
The highway is closed indefinitely amid the investigation and police are working to redirect drivers.
Fitzgerald denounced the highway shooting.
“If this group saw their possible vehicle stolen, all they had to do was call 911,” he said. “That’s why we put on this uniform and this bulletproof vest, to be put in these situations. But here you have someone who may have taken it upon themselves to take on a group, and now you have a shootout on the highway at 4:40.”