Police said they were responding on Friday to reports of shots being fired on London’s packed Oxford Street, the heart of the British capital’s main shopping district, and had reacted as if the incident were terrorist related.
Armed officers had been sent to the area, which was crammed with thousands of shoppers taking advantage of the Black Friday sales.
“Police have responded as if the incident is terrorist related,” they said in a statement. “At this stage police have not located any casualties. If you are on Oxford Street go into a building and stay inside until further direction.”
A Reuters witness said panicked shoppers were fleeing Oxford Street as emergency services rushed to the scene and ordered people to leave the area.
The witness saw an elderly lady and a man carrying his child knocked over in the panic.
“There were people running in all directions. I didn’t know which way to run,” the witness said.
The capital’s transport operator, Transport for London, said trains were not stopping at either Oxford Circus or the nearby Bond Street station due to the incident.
