Shooting incident in SM Megamall causes panic

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

MANILA, Philippines – A jewelry store inside SM Megamall was robbed Saturday night, causing panic among shoppers.

Mall-goers said gunshots were heard, prompting most of them to hide inside the stores.

A mall-goer, Ramilo Sevron, said he heard multiple gunshots, but could not determine where it came from.

“Naglalakad ako sa may basement tapos biglang may nagtakbuhan, akala ko kung ano nangyari. Narinig ko ‘yung iba na nagsabing may barilan daw, bigla na rin ako napatakbo kasi narinig ko na rin ‘yung putok,” he told dzMM.

Initial investigations showed that at least 4 suspects robbed F and C Jewelry Store located at the ground floor of the mall’s Building B department store at around 7:30 p.m.

Mandaluyong Police chief Sr. Supt. Florendo Quibuyen said the robbers used hammers to break the store’s jewelry case.

He said police will review footage from closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to identify the suspects based on its rogues’ gallery.

Quibuyen said they have yet to confirm if the suspects are members of the “Martilyo Gang”, which also robbed jewelry inside a Pasay mall in August 2012.

One of the suspects was reportedly injured after breaking the glass, said Chief Supt. Miguel Laurel, district director of the Eastern Police District.

“It appears na pagtakas niya, sumabit ‘yung kamay niya kaya nasugatan,” he told dzMM.

Laurel said the suspects fired their weapons upwards to trigger a panic among the shoppers, which led to their escape.

“Nagpaputok sila pataas, tapos sinabayan nila ang tao palabas,” he said.

Laurel added that the hammers used by the suspects were bought from a hardware store inside the mall.

Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos confirmed that gunshots were fired inside the mall, but stressed that there were no casualties.

“Huwag mag-alala kung may mga kamag-anak kayo na nasa SM ngayon, wala hong nasaktan. Tapos na ito at everything is under control. Umakto kaagad ang SM management at mga pulis,” he told dzMM.

He also denied that any hostage-taking occurred inside the mall.

The suspects, however, have yet to be arrested. Police are in hot pursuit of the suspects, as of posting.

Police are still determining how much jewelry was stolen.

Two slugs from a .45 caliber firearm were recovered at the scene.

SM Supermalls President Annie Garcia, meanwhile, said the mall has resumed operations.

She said SM will cooperate with the authorities in the investigation. -- Report from Robert Mano, dzMM; ANC