The crash that ended the police chase tied up Montreal traffic during rush hour on Tuesday morning. (Steve Rukavina/CBC) Two men have been released from police custody and a third remains behind bars after a dramatic car chase that ended with gunshots in Montreal Tuesday.

Seven people, including four police officers, were slightly injured in the early-morning chase that started in Laval and ended in Montreal.

The police chase began around 6:20 a.m., when officers in Laval, north of Montreal, stopped a car for a routine traffic violation on Des Laurentides Boulevard.

The officers said they saw drugs in the vehicle and had just arrested one of the three men inside when the other two drove off, Laval Const. Nathalie Lorrain said.

The men led police on a chase down Highway 440 in Laval, Highway 15 into Montreal and on Highway 40 in both directions, Lorrain said.

About 20 minutes after the chase began, police were able to stop the car using a spiked belt on the westbound lanes of Highway 40 in the Anjou borough.

When the vehicle came to a stop, Laval police got out of their cruisers and approached it.

That's when the suspects backed up the car, and police drew their guns, Quebec provincial police spokesperson Benoît Richard said.

"The officers tried to arrest the people, but those people started going back [towards] the officers," he said. "The officers had to shoot."

A bullet hole could later be seen in the trunk of the suspects' vehicle.

Police guns didn't stop the suspects, who headed west on Highway 40 before colliding with another vehicle and coming to a final stop near Lacordaire Boulevard.

Injuries are not life-threatening

Police arrested the two occupants of the car, and one was taken to hospital bleeding from his head.

A bullet hole could be seen in the rear of the suspect vehicle. (CBC) Four Laval police officers were also taken to hospital. One was treated for an injured leg after being pinned between two vehicles.

The other two officers were treated for shock. The extent of the injuries of the fourth officer was not known.

Two citizens in the vehicle that was struck at the end of the chase suffered minor injuries and were also taken to hospital.

Quebec provincial police have taken over the investigation.