World | Philippines
Manila mall shootout sparks panic
High-noon heist attempt raises public concern over unabated criminality
- AP
- Published: 13:39 October 18, 2009
- Image Credit: AP
- Armed Filipino policemen walk outside of the Greenbelt 5 shopping mall at the financial district of Makati, south of Manila.
Manila: An official says Philippine police battled a group of masked gunmen who attempted to rob a watch store in an upscale shopping mall in Manila's financial district, leaving one suspected robber dead and prompting many shoppers to scamper to safety.
While robbery is common in the bustling Philippine capital, the attempted high-noon heist Sunday at a watch store in tightly secured Greenbelt 5 mall in suburban Makati City was rare. It will likely renew public concern on unabated criminality in the impoverished Southeast Asian country.
Mayor Freddie Tinga of nearby Taguig city said he was having lunch at a restaurant when his two police bodyguards posted outside stumbled on about seven masked gunmen who barged into a store selling Rolex watches, setting off a shootout.
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