British authorities are investigating an incident at Oxford St. and underground at Oxford Circus tube station in London after reports shots were fired, but ended up finding there was no evidence of a shooting.
“To date police have not located any trace of any suspects, evidence of shots fired or casualties,” a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement.
We have not located any trace of suspects, evidence of shots fired or casualties. Officers still on scene. If you are in a building stay there, if you are on the street in #OxfordStreet leave the area. Officers continue to search the area. More updates as soon as we have them
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 24, 2017
Only one woman has sustained minor injuries so far since emergency services were alerted about 4:43 p.m. local time, per British Transport Police.
Metropolitan armed and unarmed officers are responding to the incident with BTP colleagues as if it is “terrorist related,” an earlier written statement read.
Social media has been flooded by footage of chaotic scenes as people fled the busy shopping and dining precinct.
Police said their response was “stood down” shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday.
“Our response on #OxfordStreet has now been stood down. If you sought shelter in a building please now leave, and follow the direction of police officers on the ground if you need assistance,” police tweeted, explaining they had received calls indicating shots were fired and responded as if it was a terrorist incident.
At about 16:38 we started to receive numerous 999 calls reporting shots fired in a number of locations on #OxfordStreet & at Oxford Circus tube station. Given the nature of the info received we responded as if the incident was terrorism, including the deployment of armed officers
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 24, 2017
