Disgruntled Ex-Guard Wounds a Man, Takes Hostages in Manila
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2020 5:02 am
The gunman who has hostaged at least a dozen people shows a grenade on a video call with a policeman, witnessed by members of the media outside a mall in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020.
In the Philippines a former security guard opened fire Monday at a mall in Manila, wounding a man and taking about 30 other people hostage.
The gunman shot the man as he entered the administration office of the Virra shopping complex in San Juan City, an upscale section of Manila, mayor Francis Zamora said, adding that the victim was in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
Zamora said a police negotiator was trying to end the standoff peacefully by talking to the gunman, who was demanding to speak by video to his former guard colleagues and the media. The gunman had been fired by the company that provides security for the shopping mall.
A SWAT team of commandos with assault rifles at the ready was seen at the four-story mall, which has more than 100 shops. Police orders the evacuation of the mall and cordoned it off. Other policemen were on stand-by outside. An ambulance was there as well.