London Bridge: Workers run away in tears as police tackling knifeman scream 'get back'

Eyewitnesses have described their horror as armed police swarmed London Bridge and shot a man after several people were injure with people fleeing the scene in central London

Terrified tourists and officer workers were seen "running in tears" from London Bridge as frantic police shouted and screamed for them to flee.

Eyewitnesses looked on in horror as armed police swarmed the iconic spot and shot a man after several people were injured in a knife attack.

As multiple gunshots were heard and sirens wailed around the scene, shops and offices were evacuated with people spilling out onto the street, crying and desperately telephoning loved-ones.

Daily Mirror chief reporter Andy Lines is on the scene and described "people running in tears, police frantically trying to move office workers back."

Mirror Online journalist Talia Shadwell was among the crowds caught up in the panic and said her friend "saw people on their phones crying.

"Police were shouting at people to move out the street, people were running behind us and so we started running as well.

"It's not often you hear police being that forceful."

Witness Amanda Hunter was on a bus across the bridge when she heard shots fired.

She told BBC News: "(The bus) all of a sudden stopped and there was commotion and looked out the window and I just saw these three police officers going over to a man.

"It seemed like there was something in his hand, I'm not 100% sure, but then one of the police officers shot him.

"We were stopped on a bus for only a minute or a minute-and-a-half, and then we were able to safely get off the bridge."

Timothy Johnson tweeted: "Police shouting for everyone to move away. Real panic setting in at London Bridge."

One business owner told the PA news agency she had been crossing London Bridge to get to her shop on the north side when police officers stopped her.

She said that was when she heard at least five or six gunshots and said that her store has been evacuated.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, added: "I was approaching London Bridge and a policeman would not let me through.

"We heard shooting, it was about five or six shots, I heard five or six quite clearly.

"All my staff have been evacuated."

Kelby McNally, OK! Online’s editor, works in the Northern and Shell Building on Lower Thames Street near to London Bridge.

She said: “I was coming out of Pret on Eastcheap and there were loads of people just running, I thought it was a fire alarm or something, and then I saw two girls from my office who told me not to go back there.

"I asked what had happened, and they said they had heard gunshots and now everyone is running.

“City of London police officers and paramedics told us, ‘You need to go that way, do not go near London Bridge, run that way’.

“Everyone was running, so then we came to where the Sky Garden building is and the security guards let everyone in."

Armed officers shouted at bystanders to ‘get inside’ in a video uploaded to Twitter.

London Bridge was the scene of an attack in June 2017 when three militants drove a van into pedestrians and then attacked people in the surrounding area, killing eight people. This latest incident is initially being treated as terror-related by Metropolitan Police.

A spokesperson said: “At this stage, the circumstances relating to the incident at London Bridge remain unclear.

“However, as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related.

“One man has been shot by police. We will provide further information when possible."

Station staff at Monument claimed five people have been injured in the London Bridge knife attack.

The tube station has been closed off as armed police investigate.

Nurse Jackie Benfield, 32, described how she asked to be let off a bus on London Bridge after she heard "five or six" gunshots.

Ms Benfield, who was on her way home from work, said she exited the bus and "ran like hell" to escape the shots.

Connor Allen, who was in his van on the bridge when it was evacuated said: "Everyone just started running, you heard these pops and that was it. We just got out the van and started running."

BBC correspondent John McManus said he had heard several gun shots on London Bridge.

"Just a few minutes ago I was walking across London Bridge on the south bank to the north bank of the bridge," he said.

"There appeared to be a fight going on on the other side of the bridge, with several men attacking one man.

"Police then quickly arrived, including armed police, and then a number of shots were fired at this man.

"Police have now cleared the bridge, everybody has been told to move back and now on the northern side of the bridge, but there are more shots going on.

"I can't see what's happening now because we've been moved out of the way but there are shots going on, and you probably hear the police sounds as well.

"Everybody has cleared the area, the entire bridge has been moved, and right on the northern part of the bridge, right up until quite near the Bank of England, is being cleared."

It is being reported that the attack began at Fishmongers’ Hall on the northern end of London Bridge.

Yahoo Finance journalist Oscar William-Gruts reported that a knife man ran into the building at around 2pm and several people were stabbed.

"There are more police coming into the area as I'm speaking, they're telling people to clear, to move back," Mr McManus said.

"We've been moved back hundreds of metres back from the northern side of the bridge, and I can only assume the same has happened on the southern side of the bridge as well."

The BBC correspondent said he could see a man lying on the ground but the situation was "ongoing".

"There appeared to be a fight going on on the bridge, from what I could see, several people tried to restrain a man and it was then that armed police arrived and they fired shots at this person," he said.

Onlooker Zack Shooter told the PA news agency police almost knocked him over as they ran towards the incident.

"Then loads of cars with sirens all rushed past me at full speed," he added.

Political commentator Owen Jones tweeted: "I'm near London Bridge, looks like a bad incident - people running, police yelling 'keep moving', lots of emergency services, area cordoned off. Stay safe everyone."