Two men are dead and a third is in custody following a confrontation with police in Calgary.

The incident began at about 10:15 a.m. on Manning Close S.E. in Mayland Heights. A security guard reported three suspicious and impaired people on private property. 

The suspects fled in a stolen five-ton cube van that was then reported by multiple members of the public being driven in an erratic and dangerous manner on westbound Memorial Drive, police said.

Officers followed the slow-moving vehicle as it continued swerving along the road. Police vehicles were placed in strategic locations to make sure the van didn't get into the heavily populated downtown.

A number of attempts were made to contain the van, but due to its size, it broke through the containment.

Police say that 45 minutes after the incident began, the situation escalated to the point where one officer discharged their firearm, killing two of the suspects inside the vehicle. A third person was taken into custody.

The officer is described as a 13-year veteran of the Calgary Police Service.

WATCH | Video shared on social media by URBA Calgary and Ryan Northcott shows several Calgary police vehicles slowly pursue a white cube van on Memorial Drive, followed by the apparent sound of gunshots:

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has taken the lead on the investigation. 

ASIRT investigates incidents where serious injury or death may have been caused by police, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.

Memorial Drive was expected to remain closed through the afternoon rush in both directions between Deerfoot Trail and Edmonton Trail.

As a result, the Fifth Avenue flyover to the north side of the Bow River is heavily congested leaving the downtown core.