Tottenham Court Road evacuated in 'hostage situation' Police have been called to a potential hostage situation after one of the country's busiest shopping streets was closed. Businesses and shoppers were evacuated from Tottenham Court Road in central London at midday. Scotland Yard said it had sent a negotiator to the scene after reports of a man throwing furniture out of a window several floors up. A spokesman said it was "too early to say if the suspect was armed or indeed had taken any hostages." Joaqam Ramus, who works at nearby Cafe Fresco, said before being evacuated: "There was talk of a bomb and somebody having a hostage in a building. All Tottenham Court Road is closed and so are we - the police told us to shut. We don't know what it is but it seems someone has a hostage. A spokesman for Transport for London could not confirm details of the ongoing operation but confirmed they were "aware of an incident." Staff from news website The Huffington Post UK were evacuated from their building after a man reportedly wearing a gas canister threatened to blow himself up in the adjoining building, they said. People near the scene reported shots being fired and said computers and equipment had been thrown out of the windows of the office block housing the Huffington Post. Sarah O'Meara, who works for the Huffington Post, said they evacuated their offices in nearby Capper Street after being alerted by a woman who ran into the building. "A woman ran in off the street saying 'There is a guy with a bomb and he is threatening to blow himself up' and that we needed to evacuate," she said. Everyone got out. The police have been moving people back street by street. It is now at Grafton Way. Images on the social networking site Twitter showed various items being thrown from the building, including computer monitors and piles of paper. Ms O'Meara said the atmosphere had been "tragi-comic" until the police arrived and it turned serious. "He was throwing stuff out of the windows, it looked like someone with a grievance," she added. But then the police arrived and started telling everyone 'This is serious, this is for your own safety. He has got gas'. A police cordon was in place from Store Street to the south of the incident. Dozens of onlookers watched and took photographs with their mobile phones. Five marked police cars and vans could be seen lining Tottenham Court Road, as well as four ambulances. Unmarked police vehicles also drove up to the scene and three London buses were stopped in the road with their amber lights flashing. A police negotiator was seen speaking to the officers guarding the cordon, and he was given directions to the scene. Publicist David Cox, who works in an adjacent building, said: "There was a guy chucking stuff out of the window - there seemed to be computers and some furniture and then papers. We have been getting moved further and further back by the police and the cordon is now 300-400 metres away. There are all sorts of rumours going around about what is happening. We think it is some sort of recruitment or training agency. Mr Cox, who works for PR firm Outside Organisation, said: "The police came in to our reception and told us we had to evacuate the building immediately."