Police have evacuated the entire Queen Street Mall in Brisbane's CBD amid reports of a gunman in the shopping precinct.
Staff from the Brisbane City Council Visitor Information Centre located in the middle of the mall are locked inside their small office.
Myer employees ran crying through the centre screaming "run, there is a man with a gun".
Maxine Anderson was one of hundreds shoppers evacuated from the centre and said there was "mass panic" when the employees came running.
"I was on an escalator and the Myer employees ran out screaming 'run, there's a man with a gun'," she said.
"I tried to get out the main entrance but they closed it off and I had to go through Elizabeth Street."
She said it took about five minutes to get out as people ran for the exits.
Police declared an emergency situation in the mall under the Public Safety Preservation Act at 11.20am, after receiving reports of an armed person.
"The area has been evacuated and motorists and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area," police said in a statement.
Police officers have also ushered shoppers in to King George Square.
Every officer at the City station has been deployed to the Queen Street Mall.
A police spokesman said they were investigating the reports.
More to come ...