30 HELD HOSTAGE IN MANILA MALL

MANILA: Police were in a standoff Monday with a “disgruntled” former security guard who shot at least one person and took about 30 others hostage at a shopping mall in the Philippine capital, officials said. Workers and customers were evacuated from the V-Mall shopping centre in Manila early Monday after gunshots rang out and officers wielding assault rifles rushed to the scene.

MANILA: A sacked security guard who shot one person and took about 30 others hostage at a Manila shopping mall on Monday surrendered to authorities, ending a day-long standoff that terrified shoppers and drew a massive police response.

The guard walked out of the V-Mall, where he was allowed to speak briefly to the press before heavily armed officers tackled and arrested him.

He complained about being mistreated by his employers.

Hostages were also led out of the building, but police did not say whether any of them had been hurt nor the exact number caught up in the violence.

The drama started when the suspect shot a security guard, who was rushed to hospital in stable condition, said Francis Zamora,

mayor of the San Juan City, which includes the mall.

Zamora told reporters the hostage-taker was upset after losing his job. Authorities worked for hours to convince him to surrender, and later in the day held a press conference where company officers apologised for upsetting the suspect.

“I deeply regret my shortcomings,” one supervisor said. AFP