LONDON (AP) — London police shot and killed a man during a “terrorism-related incident” Sunday that involved the stabbings of “a number of people,” the British capital's Metropolitan Police said.

The police force said the incident happened in the Streatham neighborhood of south London, a bustling residential area that doesn't boast any major British landmarks like areas hit by earlier attacks.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted details of the incident on Sunday afternoon, saying “The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related.”

The BBC said witnesses reported hearing two gunshots just after 2 p.m. Social media showed multiple ambulances on the scene and helicopters in the air as helicopters responded to the incident.

Related: London stabbings

10 PHOTOS London stabbings See Gallery London stabbings Police officers patrol the scene of the deadly stabbings at London Bridge, in London, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. UK counterterrorism police on Saturday searched for clues into how a man imprisoned for terrorism offenses before his release last year managed to stab several people before being tackled by bystanders and shot dead by officers on London Bridge. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) Police on Cannon Street in London near the scene of an incident on London Bridge in central London following a police incident, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police cleared the area around London Bridge in the center of the British capital on Friday after a stabbing and shooting incident that left several people injured. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP) A police officer moves an uninvolved person away from a cordon after an incident on London Bridge in central London following a police incident, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain’s capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP) A police forensic officer walks by a sign where a man was shot dead by police on London Bridge following an incident in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related." (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) An abandoned buse is parked while police forensic officers work, under a tent at right, where a man was shot dead by police on London Bridge following an incident in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related." (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Police forensic officers work where a man was shot dead by police on London Bridge following an incident in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related." (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Abandoned buses are parked while police forensic officers work, at right, where a man was shot dead by police on London Bridge following an incident in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related." (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Police evacuate people from Borough Market on the south side of London Bridge in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related." (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Police evacuate people from Borough Market on the south side of London Bridge in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related." (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Police officers walk along London Bridge in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. British police shot a man on London Bridge in the heart of Britain's capital on Friday after a stabbing that left several people wounded. The Metropolitan Police force said the circumstances were still unclear, but "as a precaution, we are currently responding to this incident as though it is terror-related."(AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

Police warned people to stay out of the area.

Gulled Bulhan, a 19-year-old student from Streatham, told Britain's Press Association that he witnessed the attack.

“I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer - as they were in civilian clothing,'' he said. “The man was then shot. I think I heard three gun shots but I can't quite remember.

Bulhan said he ran into a local library to seek safety.

"From the library I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene," he said.

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