Dozens released after hostage situation in Philippines mall
MANILA, Philippines – Officials said a recently dismissed security guard released his hostages and walked out of a shopping mall, ending a daylong hostage crisis in an upscale commercial district near the police and military headquarters.
The man, identified by police as Archie Paray, a former guard at the complex, left the V-Mall in suburban San Juan city Monday evening with his hostages, who were secured by police.
The suspect was allowed to speak to reporters and authorities to outline his grievances against his former superiors, whom he accused of corruption and abuse, before police approached and subdued him.
Police said the man shot a security officer in the morning before rushing to the second floor of the complex, where he held dozens of people, mostly employees, hostage in an office. The number of hostages wasn’t immediately clear.
San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said the gunman, who was armed with a pistol, shot one person at the V-Mall. The victim was in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
“He felt bad because he was removed as a guard,” Zamora said, adding that the man failed to convince fellow guards to join him. Aside from a pistol, the hostage taker yelled that he had a grenade, but authorities could not immediately confirm that, Zamora said.
The suspect complained of “unequal treatment,” the police report said.
He was dismissed from work after abandoning his job without notifying management, Zamora said.
The shopping complex, popular for its restaurants, shops, bars and a bazaar, lies near an upscale residential enclave, a golf club and the police and military headquarters in the bustling metropolis of more than 12 million people.
Three years ago, a gunman stormed a mall-casino complex in Manila, shot TV monitors and set gambling tables on fire, killing 36 people, most of whom were suffocated by the thick smoke. The gunman stole casino chips before he fled but was found dead in an apparent suicide in an adjacent hotel at the Resorts World Manila complex.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but Philippine authorities rejected the claim, saying the attacker was not a Muslim militant but a heavily indebted gambler.