Police were responding to reports of shots being fired on Oxford Street in London on Friday and warned people to run into buildings for their safety.
The London police said it had received a number of reports of shots fired at 4:38 p.m. (local time) on Friday on Oxford Street and at the Oxford Circus underground train station. There were no casualties immediately reported.
London Metropolitan Police said it was responding as if it were a “terrorist incident” and unarmed officers were on scene.
Police gave no details on what happened, but crowds were seen running down Oxford Street, a shopping strip usually busy with pedestrians and heavy traffic.
Police warned the public to avoid the area and said that Oxford Circus and Bond Street underground stations were closed.
London’s transport agency tweeted that the station had been closed as it investigated a “customer incident.”
The incident comes as throngs of shoppers flocked to the area for Black Friday retail sales.
Developing story – more to come