PARIS, Jan. 8 -- A policewoman and a city employee were in critical condition Thursday after a man fired on them with an automatic rifle outside Paris, the police said.

The suspect, who was born in 1962 and known to the police due to previous convictions, is still on the run, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said at the shooting scene after rushing away from an emergency inter-ministerial meeting in Elysee.

The incident occurred around 7:15 am local time (0615 GMT) in Montrouge, a neighboring town of Paris.

There is no link confirmed with Wednesday's attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine. Two suspects of the attack, which left 12 killed, are still on the run.