09 August 2023 , 16:58
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Chaos descended on Oxford Street in central London with attempts at mass looting provoked by viral TikTok videos, and scuffles between teenagers and police.
Witnesses claimed to see attempted looting at stores with some pulling their shutters down for a period around 3pm, trapping customers inside. Traffic was also brought to a halt briefly while mounted police and security personnel tried to disperse crowds.
The tube stations nearby at Goodge Street and Warren Street were temporarily shut due to a request from the police who are continuing to patrol the general West End area.
A woman with a pram was knocked to the ground and helped by police in continued commotion into the evening with officers holding batons outside a McDonald's. Earlier footage showed large groups of teenagers running across Oxford Street and plenty of police officers at the scene. One person tweeted: “Avoid Oxford Circus station if you can. Chaos and confusion as lots of young kids march around.”
Nine people have been arrested and a dispersal order has been put in place until 10am on Thursday, giving police officers the power to exclude people from the area for 48 hours. Anyone who does not comply can be arrested. Met Police stated: "Throughout Wednesday (9 August) officers maintained a high visibility presence within the Oxford Street area. As of 20:15hrs officers have issued 34 people with dispersal orders and made nine arrests.
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There was a heavy police presence on Oxford Street (Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)"Four people were arrested on suspicion of breaching the dispersal order, one person was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal, one person arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and one person was arrested on suspicion of public order offence." It added that in the afternoon two people in Essex were "arrested for conspiracy to commit robbery following online social media posts".
Another witness said they saw around 100 teenagers who were "running amok" on Regents Street. Other people claim to have seen teens trying to loot shops while some said that there were many who were just hanging around and watching the chaos. One person said: "Lots of screaming then a surge. Some sort of mass hysteria but not violence."
A police officer dispersing a crowd (Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)TikToker Mizzy was seen having been stopped by police on Oxford Street. Footage shows him shirtless and surrounded by officers, while another clip films him wearing a purple beanie hat as he is searched. According to the passerby who filmed the clip, the officers escorted Mizzy to Oxford Circus station and told him to leave the area.
Notorious 18-year-old Mizzy - real name Bacari-Bronze O'Garro - first rose to fame when he filmed himself walking into strangers' houses and running off with a pet owner's dog. He is known for his prank videos, including pestering train passengers and entering a man's car claiming it is his Uber. He has been banned from TikTok and has appeared in court twice in recent months in relation to his behaviour. There is no suggestion that Mizzy has been involved in any shoplifting.
Mizzy is seen being stopped by police on Oxford Street (NEWSFLARE)There was already an increased police presence in the area after videos trending on social media encouraged people to steal from shops in Oxford Street. Two young men were led away from near a fast food restaurant in handcuffs close to a shop rumoured to be the target of TikTok-organised disorder. One of the men was wearing a green hoodie and the other a grey tracksuit.
Meanwhile, some of the teens who went to Oxford Street said that they had not gone to cause trouble. A 14-year-old said: “I’m not here to steal anything, I’ve been raised better than that,” reported the Guardian. He added: “I just want to record it,” after hearing about the event on Snapchat.
Hundreds of youngsters gathered in central London (Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)Another said: “We’re not here to steal stuff – there’s loads of famous people making videos. We just saw loads of police and want to see what it’s about.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has encouraged people not to travel to the shopping heartland after viral clips called for crowds to gather today and cause a disturbance. Police powers are in place to remove anyone they think poses a threat as fears over rioting intensify.
Police outside a JD sports shop (Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)It comes almost a year after several gangs of youths ran amok at Oxford Circus, appearing to jump up and down on Ferraris, loot shops and assault police officers. The scary scenes were captured online, with a number of arrests made.
The City of Westminster Police tweeted: "We are aware of online speculation about opportunities to commit crime around Oxford Street. There will be a significant number of our officers in the area over the next 24 hours. Anyone committing a crime can expect to be dealt with robustly."
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Met Officers pictured crossing Oxford Street (Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)The Met this morning said there will be a heightened presence in the central London after the "event" was advertised by users on the platform. Its officers have been given the authority to exclude people from the area and arrest anyone failing to comply.
Mr Khan said he is concerned but labelled the videos urging people to turn up as “nonsense”. He released a statement saying there will be a heavy police presence, telling trouble makers to stay away.
Sadiq Khan has encouraged people not to travel to the shopping heartland (NEWSFLARE)He said: “I am worried about this nonsense we have seen on TikTok encouraging people to go to Oxford Street. The police understand why some people may be tempted to go to that part of London because of the TikTok. I’d encourage anybody who’s seen it not to go to Oxford Street.
"Do not allow yourself to be sucked into an area that could be a high crime area. It won’t be (a high crime area) because the police work incredibly hard with the local community, with the retailers in that part of London, and with those citizens who want to have a good day out on Oxford Street tomorrow rather than being worried about that sort of nonsense.”