Norwegian police have arrested a suspect who stole an ambulance and used it to ram innocent bystanders on the streets of Oslo on Tuesday afternoon.

The armed suspect was apprehended but not critically injured, despite the fact that police reportedly opened fire on the ambulance during their pursuit.

Five people were injured in the incident, including two babies, but their condition is believed to be stable and their injuried minor.

Eyewitness footage from the scene captured the moment police had the ambulance partially surrounded but the suspect managed to evade them and drive away despite being under fire.

"Two babies were injured after the hijacked ambulance hit a family. They are twins, seven months old, they are being treated," Oslo University hospital spokesman Anders Bayer said.

The ambulance was stolen at approximately 12:30 local time after responding to a traffic accident. According to Bayer, the rampage lasted for some 45 minutes at which point another of the hospital's ambulances managed to ram the hijacked vehicle and pin it long enough for police to make the arrest.

"Some minutes later one of our other ambulances managed to stop the hijacked vehicle by crashing into it. Then the police came after the crash and got him," he said.

Police have established a security cordon around the scene as they attempt to establish a motive for the incident. The ambulance was reportedly stolen in the Torshov borough of the capital.

Carnage was visible across the streets of Oslo as the rampage tore through the borough and neighboring areas.

The police later tweeted that it is seeking a woman in connection with a traffic accident that occurred during the ambulance robbery and subsequent chase.

“An armed man stole an ambulance, drove away and hit some people. We got him now,” a police spokesperson said, though they declined to say how many people had been injured by the stolen ambulance or whether anyone had died in the incident.

"There is nothing to indicate that this incident is terrorism related," Oslo police operations leader Erik Hestvik told reporters.

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