One killed, six injured during shootout of security guards and bank robbers at Robinson's Galleria

Manila: One person was killed and six others were wounded when three armed robbers lobbed two grenades to escape, after they had robbed two roving tellers who were to deliver cash to money changing companies inside a mall on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in suburban Quezon City on Thursday, police said.

Rodrigo Villa, a security guard at Robinson Galleria died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds during a shootout with two bank robbers who victimized two bank tellers who were to deliver money to Sanrys Money Changer on the ground floor of Robinson's Galleria mall at past 10 Thursday morning, Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said

Villa's companion, Roderick Relucio, also a security guard, was critically wounded during the fire-fight. He and five other people who were injured were rushed to Medical City and Rizal Medical Center for treatment, Cruz said.

The armed robbers wore security guard uniforms when they attacked the security escorts of the two roving tellers of Security Bank who routinely deliver cash to money changers found inside the mall, Cruz said, adding the roving tellers were robbed at gunpoint.

"When the robbers escaped aboard a motorcycle, only one of the two grenades they lobbed exploded. The other grenade remained intact, but its pin was gone," said Cruz.

The incident began when the two armed robbers "forcibly" entered the mall, attacked the guard at the entrance, and followed their target, Rose Ann Villegas, head of the public relations office of Robinsons Land Corp., said in a statement.

"It was so fast. It was like zoom in and zoom out (incident)," said Villegas, adding the mall was briefly closed to customers after the incident. It was re-opened to the public after two hours.

Villegas did not explain why armed men with grenades managed to enter the mall when customers undergo body check before they are allowed entry.