London's Oxford Street Cleared as Shots Heard on Black Friday

(Bloomberg) -- Armed police rushed to London’s emblematic Oxford Street on Black Friday after reports of gun shots, as police said they were treating the incident as if it were a terrorist attack.

London police said no casualties had been located, and fire engines rushed to the scene. The Metropolitan Police told shoppers to seek shelter and get off the street, while Oxford Circus underground station was evacuated after an incident was reported there.

Oxford Circus and surrounding streets were cordoned off and shoppers fled in panic. Some were barricaded in shops and cafes, according to a Bloomberg reporter on the scene.

London is used to living with terrorism, and the alert level is the second highest, after a series of atrocities this year. Knives and vehicles were used in attacks on London Bridge and Westminster Bridge, and a pop concert in Manchester was also targeted earlier this year.

--With assistance from Joe Easton Ronald Day and Thomas Penny

To contact the reporters on this story: Emma Ross-Thomas in London at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Clementine Fletcher in New York at cfletcher5@bloomberg.net, David Merritt in Hong Kong at dmerritt1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Heather Harris at hharris5@bloomberg.net, Sonali Pathirana

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.