Police Shoot Man on London Bridge, Saying Case May Be Terrorism

LONDON — A police officer shot a man on London Bridge on Friday in what the police called a possibly terrorism-related incident, which also involved a stabbing, left several people injured and paralyzed one of the busiest arteries through the city.

The chaotic clash, in a country where shootings are rare, involved several officers and civilians, and sent scores of people fleeing from the bridge and areas near it on both sides of the River Thames. It also revived memories of recent terrorist attacks in London, including one on the same bridge in 2017 that killed eight people.

Video posted on social media showed a crowd surrounding a man whom they appeared to be wrestling with and holding to the ground as police officers arrived. One man can be seen carrying a large knife away from the area as at least three police officers respond with their guns drawn.

The police pulled the other people away from the man on the ground, and then an officer appeared to fire at least one shot, hitting the man and prompting screams from bystanders. The Metropolitan Police reported that one man had been arrested and a number had been hurt.

Additional videos posted on social media showed police vehicles blocking both sides of the roadway on London Bridge. A clip taken from onboard a nearby bus showed three police officers with their guns drawn and pointed at a person lying on the ground.

One witness described seeing a man wielding a knife shot by police.

The British Transport Police said that the nearby London Bridge station, one of the city’s busiest transit hubs, had been closed. London Ambulance Service called it a “major incident.”

John McManus, a BBC reporter who was crossing the bridge at the time of the incident, told the news outlet that he had seen a group of men involved in a fight with another man on the bridge. The police then arrived, and “a number of shots were fired at this man.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a statement thanking the police and emergency services for their “immediate response” and said he was being kept updated.

In the 2017 attack on the bridge, a van careered onto the sidewalk, mowing down pedestrians. Three attackers then leapt from the vehicle wielding knives and attacking bystanders before being killed by the police.

Earlier that year, a car plowed into pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. Six people, including the attacker, were killed.