Two men aged 21 and 40 have handed themselves in to police over the platform fight that triggered a social media panic last night at Oxford Circus.
Detectives had earlier released two photographs of suspects they believed started the stampede after an altercation broke out in a tube station.
Witnesses said two men ‘bumped’ into each other before ‘several punches’ were thrown on the westbound platform at Oxford Circus.
Passengers reported hearing ‘shots fired’ at about 4.40pm prompting police to storm the station and evacuate it on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Minutes later, pop star Olly Murs tweeted that he had heard ‘gun shots’ inside department store Selfridges – half a mile from the tube station – and encouraged people to flee.
The presenter, 33, told his 7.8million followers: ‘F*** everyone get out of Selfridges now gun shots!! I’m inside.’
Armed police triggered their protocol for terrorist attacks as terrified shoppers bolted from the area – leaving several injured with nine taken to hospital.
British Transport Police released these images of two men after reports of ‘gun shots’ led to a stampede and several people being injured
Crowds were seen running from Oxford Street after gunfire was reportedly heard in or around the Underground station shortly before 5pm last night
People fled down Regent Street and looked fearful as the chaos began to unravel around Oxford Circus
Other people were seen running away from the scene as police tried to confirm what was happening at the tourist hotspot
Armed police were seen entering Oxford Circus and shouting out to people passing by as they evacuate the premises
Terrified shoppers who ran from the area were told to take cover and sought refuge in Topshop, the Nike store, Zara and John Lewis.
Shops pulled down the shutters while staff at other stores sent terrified crowds down to the basements for safety.
Boots pharmacist Alyssa Puddle, 25, originally from Cwmbran, South Wales, said: ‘There were hundreds of people standing with their Black Friday shopping waiting to get home, and some people were not in the best mood.
‘I saw a group of 20 lads walking down the westbound platform in one direction, and two other men coming the other way.
‘My view was blocked, so I’m not sure what started the fight, but the next second a woman was screaming as if something terrible had happened. They must have bumped into each other and started it from there.
‘Because it was so busy people were just being sucked into the fight and shoved around. I got forced up against a wall as the brawl got bigger.
‘More people were screaming and shouting and I saw several punches fly.
‘Eventually the larger group grabbed one of the other men by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to the edge of the platform.
‘There was a train coming and it looked like he would be pushed onto the tracks. It was horrifying.
‘Everyone panicked and started shouting to get the guy away from the platform edge.
‘When the train came up to the platform the fight stopped and the group moved off.
‘I jumped on the train to get away, and that’s when they made the announcement to evacuate the station.
‘All I could see before it pulled away was a herd of people surging towards to the stairs to escape.
‘As I got on the tube the comms speaker announced the station as being evacuated and for everyone to leave.
‘As the tube doors shut police officers had arrived.
‘As the speakers went off I saw everyone run from the platform. People panicked because it looked very sinister.’
Police put cordons in place and a young family were seen clutching each other’s hands as they dashed away
Officers wore balaclavas as they patrolled the streets while shoppers ran away and hid inside the shops
Armed police were seen running past a department store after ordering shoppers to leave the scene immediately
One man was stopped by officers as he tried to walk down Regent Street and past the Apple store
Officers heavily clad with guns and protective gear were seen walking past Bond Street station towards Oxford Circus
Teams of armed police stormed the station but said they found no evidence of gunfire. An officer carrying a gun is seen entering a department store
Panicked shoppers locked themselves in shops at the height of the scare and some stores rolled down their shutters to protect them
‘F*** everyone get out of Selfridges now gun shots!!’ How Olly Murs got caught up in the Oxford Circus panic
Popstar Olly Murs was caught up in the Oxford Street panic after apparently overhearing people saying ‘gun shots’ inside Selfridges.
The presenter, 33, live-tweeted as police descended on the streets following reports gunfire in a number of locations on Oxford Street and at Oxford Circus underground station.
Murs wrote: ‘F*** everyone get out of Selfridges now gun shots!! I’m inside.’
He later confirmed he was taken to the back office for protection while other shoppers were ‘screaming’ and ‘running towards exits’.
Murs added later he was evacuating the store and was told that there were no shots inside, contrary to earlier reports.
He was later criticised by Piers Morgan, who told him to ‘stop tweeting’. But he responded: ‘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.’
The singer later tweeted that he was glad ‘nothing serious’ happened and that he hoped everyone had got home safely.
Regan Warner wrote on Twitter that she saw a man bumping into another man on the ‘overcrowded platform’ at 4.35pm.
She said: ‘They exchanged words, then a punch to the gut, then a full-out fight.’
‘People were trying to break it up, there was lots of yelling. People were running away, a woman fainted, children were scared and crying.
‘The emergency button was pressed. The fight was broken up and the parties walked in opposite directions.
‘The fight was broken up and the parties walked in opposite directions. Then there was an announcement to evacuate the station. I jumped on a train.’
MailOnline journalist Keiligh Baker, who was walking towards Carnaby Street when the incident unfolded, said: ‘Lots of armed police arrived and stormed Oxford Street. They were shouting “move, move, move!”.
‘Then the uniformed officers started shouting “go, go, go”. People were sprinting and screaming.’
Ms Baker added: ‘We ran along Oxford Street and there were lots of shops with people in them, some were locked, some were still letting people in.’
Another witness Ryan Smith, who was working in a building on the corner of Great Titchfield Street and Oxford Street, said: ‘It seemed as if there were thousands of people running past the building. One girl who ran into the building said she heard several bangs. She was very shook up.
‘It was just like a stampede – there were thousands of people running down the street. They started flocking into the building.
‘And then I have come up and I have gone to the window and then it was calm for a second. Then people started running into shops.’
Greg Bird told MailOnline he was sat outside a coffee shop near Oxford Circus station when he saw ‘about 50 people sprinting around the corner and screaming’.
About 90 minutes after responding police said there was no evidence of any shots, casualties or suspects and stood down the operation just after 6pm.
A large section of Oxford Street was locked down at the height of the scare, but Oxford Circus and Bond Street stations later reopened. Cordons have been removed and the area has returned to normal.
British Transport Police confirmed the mass evacuation was caused by an ‘altercation’ between two men and urged those pictured in the CCTV images to come forward.
In a statement, they said: ‘[Officers] would now like to speak to these two people in the CCTV images, who they believe may have information about the incident and the circumstances around the incident.
‘They would also like to speak to anyone who was at the station or in the area at the time and saw or heard anything that would have caused mass evacuation.’
Chief Superintendent Martin Fry said: ‘Thank you to everyone for bearing with us this evening and also to colleagues from all the emergency services who helped carry out a swift response.
‘Our officers, alongside those from the MPS, reacted quickly and responded professionally in line with our well prepared plans.
‘I know incidents like these can cause concern, but our officers are highly visible around the network and across the country so if you ever need us please call us on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016.’
Dozens of people were seen fleeing the station after it was evacuated following reports of gun shots inside the station
Later on, the centre of Oxford Circus was completely empty aside from police vehicles and 10 officers patrolling the street
People are seen taking refuge inside the Gap shop, on Oxford Street, in the cellar and inside the shop
Buses were told to pull over and evacuate as armed police stood around Oxford Circus keeping an eye out for suspects
The area was in lockdown and a cordon was in place while police scoured the area. People are seen on the phone as they wait for the all-clear by police
Several other pedestrians were seen on their mobile phones during the widespread panic yesterday evening
A cordon was set up near John Lewis, on Oxford Street, towards near Topshop and the Nike Store. Officers also partially cordoned off the right hand side of Regent Street, near All Saints
A police statement released at 5:40pm said: ‘To date police have not located any trace of any suspects, evidence of shots fired or causalities. Officers continue to work with colleagues from British Transport Police in the area of Oxford Circus.
‘Updates will be provided as soon as we have them.
‘If you are in building stay in a building, if you are on the street in Oxford Street leave the area. Officers are continuing to search the area.’
At 6.08pm, Scotland Yard put out another statement saying: ‘The Met response on Oxford Street 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.
‘At 16:38hrs on Friday, 24 November police started to receive numerous 999 calls within a short space of time reporting shots fired in a number of locations on Oxford Street and at Oxford Circus underground station.
‘Given the nature of the information received, the Met responded in line with our existing operation as if the incident was terrorism, including the deployment of armed officers.
‘Officers working with colleagues from British Transport Police carried out an urgent search of the area. No causalities, evidence of any shots fired or any suspects were located by police.’
The BTP spokesman added: ‘A full and methodical search of the station and Oxford Street was conducted by officers.
‘At this stage, we are examining the circumstances of the incident which resulted in the station being evacuated.
‘During the station evacuation, one woman is believed to have sustained a minor injury.
‘We continue to work with the Metropolitan Police Service and are working to reopen Oxford Circus and Bond Street Tube stations. ‘
A Kensington Palace spokesman confirmed that despite the incident, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Royal Variety Performance at the nearby London Palladium.
- Do you know the men who were involved? Call 0203 615 1536 or email scott.campbell@mailonline.co.uk
Fire engines were also dispatched to the scene after people were evacuated safely from the area by police officers
Four heavily armed officers were seen talking as officers staged the cordons in the background of the shopping district
Stunned witnesses described seeing a stampede of shoppers and the a cordon was put in place while police swarmed the area
One man was seen speaking to a police officer during the chaos while holding his phone to his chest
A large group of people were seen looking around and filing out of the underground station later on
Police officers were seen standing on islands as people returned to the pavements afterwards
Several people were seen standing outside an exit point of Oxford Circus tube station earlier
Two officers looked on as people remained on the roads and walked around after the incident
Earlier, police officers blocked an exit point at Oxford Circus as people stood around and waited for instruction
Oxford Circus was extremely busy as people stood around and tried to work out what was happening
Due to the incident in Oxford Circus, despite police allowing the public back in, most of the shops remained closed
The shopping district is seen in pitch black as shoppers walked around Regent Street earlier this evening after the cordons were removed
Several people were seen carrying shopping bags after the incident and walking calmly around the district tonight
Despite Black Friday being a huge event for shops across the globe, several shops including Gap (which hid people in its basement hours before) remained shut
Terrified shoppers have told how they locked in the basement of a bar after gunshots were reportedly heard at Oxford Circus
One woman said there was a ‘big gang fight’ at Oxford Circus and she was ‘in the midst of it’