Tension gripped building B of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City when about five gunmen barged into a jewelry shop and fired successive shots, sending mall-goers scampering to safety and forcing mall authorities to lock down the building Saturday night.
The incident was initially reported by mall-goers as a hostage-taking incident, but initial report from Senior Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen, Mandaluyong City police chief, showed it was a plain robbery-holdup believed to have been perpetrated by suspected members of the “Martilyo Gang.”
The incident occurred at past 7 p.m. Saturday.
Witnesses said they saw at least two heavily-armed men entering the building and breaking into the F & C jewelry store at the ground floor of the mall prior to the security alert.
A saleslady evacuating the building said two men with long firearms had allegedly targeted the jewelry section.
With the commotion, SM security men and police on the scene ordered all shoppers out of the building as all exits and entrances were shut and cordoned off. However, the suspects still managed to escape reportedly aboard motorcycles.
SM guards communicating through handheld radios were overheard talking about a possible “hostage” situation at hand.
But by 8:40 p.m., tension in the secured area of the mall had eased with media being allowed at the scene.
Quibuyen said police personnel are currently in pursuit of the suspects.
Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos proceeded to SM Megamall and joined Chief Superintendent Miguel De Mayo Laurel, Eastern Police District director, in reviewing the mall’s CCTV video. However, the video recording was not clear to establish the identities of the suspects.
“We believed that one of the suspects was injured,” Laurel said.
source Manila Bulletin
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