An armed man on the run has been shot by police after a series of alleged carjackings north of Brisbane.

The 25-year-old man was armed with a gun and a knife throughout the rampage that stretched 200 kilometres from Hervey Bay to the Sunshine Coast.

Just before 6.30am, the man forced a driver out of his Holden Colorado ute at knifepoint in Hervey Bay.

Police tracked the man from the air to Maryborough where he dumped the stolen car and broke into a home, demanding a woman hand over the keys to her car.

She was stabbed in the hand during a struggle before the gunman opened fire with several shots.

The gunman ran off before stealing another vehicle from a second home and driving south on the Bruce Highway toward the Sunshine Coast.

He was cornered at Parklands about 10am, when police used tyre spikes to stop the car.

“The male attempted to run from police but was unsuccessful. He then confronted police with what we believe was the weapon used earlier. At that time he was shot by police,” Superintendent Craig Hawkins said.

The gunman was shot in the hip before being hit by a passing vehicle.

The Wide Bay district officer said the gunman was well known to police, who had been actively searching for him.

The gunman was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.

The Bruce Highway was blocked during the incident but has been reopened.

The shooting will be investigated by Ethical Standards and the Crime and Corruption Commission.

-AAP