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How An ‘Altercation’ Between Two Men Turned Black Friday Into Mass Panic On London’s Oxford St
Panic and confusion descended on Oxford Street on Friday evening as reports of gunfire in one of country’s busiest shopping districts sparked mass evacuations and a huge armed police response.
Police responded “as if [it was] terrorist related” but just after 10pm revealed the incident at Oxford Circus Tube station that sparked the chaos was merely caused by an “altercation” between two men.
And in the 90 or so minutes that the security alert lasted on Black Friday night – one of the year’s busiest shopping days – the 16 people that were treated for minor injuries were actually hurt trying to leave the area.
But the alert, which began just after 4:30pm, was long enough for a national newspaper to report a completely unsubstantiated incident based on a two-week-old tweet…
She told HuffPost UK: “I was walking towards Oxford Street Station and Carnaby Street was just completely empty and everyone was hiding in the stores, no one knew what was going on.
“And then all of a sudden we just saw a flood of people just running. So I quickly just ran into the closest Pret and to begin with everyone was calm but we suddenly just saw more people running down from Carnaby Street.”
On the ground, those caught up in the panic had little idea what was going on and reporters talking to them by phone found themselves in the odd situation of updating them on the situation.
Dotti Irving, who was shopping in Fenwicks on Bond Street at the time, told HuffPost UK: “The doorman instantly shut the door and I thought ’if there’s a bomb or someone coming down Bond Street, I don’t want to be in Fenwicks. So I went out of the side door and just rushed down Bond Street and every so often there would be a raft of 200-300 people rushing down the street shrinking and screaming and falling over, pushing each over. That was the horrible bit.
“I called my daughter and she said ‘get into a building’, so I went into Browns in Maddox Street where they were taking everybody in, everyone was really super. We were really looked after. They didn’t want us to leave until we got the all-clear. It was absolutely coming together, it’s the old Blitz thing isn’t it? People talk to each other when they usually simply don’t in London.
“I saw a lot of people being knocked over by other people, a woman with a horrible gash on her head, somebody else was trampled but her boyfriend picked her up.
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 leave the area. Officers continue to search the area. More updates as soon as we have them — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk)
We are releasing CCTV images of two men we would like to speak with following the incident at Oxford Circus earlier today. Anyone with information, big or small, should get in touch by texting us on 61016. — BTP (@BTP)
It’s disgusting the amount of abuse Olly Murs is receiving, many people, including my brother, also heard what sounded something very similar to gunfire at Oxford Circus. The hysteria was caused prior his tweet, he simply said what he was witnessing like others — Jay Carrington (@PookiepopBlog)
Listen piers! I was shopping and then all of sudden the whole place went mad, I mean crazy people running & screaming towards exits. We found a small office to hide to which loads of staff and people were saying there was shots fired. If you was there you’d have understood mate. — Olly Murs (@ollyofficial)
No you listen Piers.. your comments are unfair mate. It’s Easy to say now it was nothing but in a state of shock and panic I was trying to make people aware of what was happening. Which I was lend to believe by staff and customers that someone was shooting. — Olly Murs (@ollyofficial)
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/oxford-street-tube-incident_uk_5a185f76e4b0cee6c04f7ebd
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