A woman led police on a multi-kilometre, hours-long vehicle chase before she was shot and killed by an officer early Christmas morning, the Calgary Police Service said in an afternoon statement.

Officers noticed the driver — believed to be in her 30s — just after midnight driving dangerously in the Inglewood area, police said, but she wouldn't stop when directed.

"The driver then drove throughout northwest Calgary, running red lights and travelling at various speeds. Two more traffic stops were attempted at approximately 12:30 a.m., but again the driver did not stop," police said in a statement.

"For safety reasons, the officers disengaged from following the vehicle at 12:40 a.m."

Things escalated quickly, police say

Police received a report the driver was in the northeast community of Falconridge at around 2:20 a.m. and later saw her driving into oncoming traffic several times.

About 20 minutes later, police say, they were able to stop the vehicle on McKnight Boulevard near 68th Street N.E., where things escalated quickly and she was shot and killed by an officer with 10 years on the force.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is currently investigating the incident and an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.