Four men who had just robbed a pawnshop inside a mall in Pasay City used to their advantage Thursday the huge crowd of shoppers and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) commuters inside the establishment.
To escape from mall security guards who were chasing them, one of the robbers fired shots into the air, creating a panic and sending people rushing to the exits.
In the ensuing confusion, the robbers got away with their loot—a still undetermined amount of jewelry taken from the Tambunting pawnshop on the third floor of the Metropoint mall.
The shopping mall at the corner of Taft Avenue and Edsa in Pasay City is connected to the MRT Pasay-Taft Avenue station, one of the overhead light train system’s busiest stations. During the MRT’s operating hours, the mall is full of commuters headed for or getting off the MRT and the nearby Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1.
Senior Superintendent Melchor Reyes, Pasay City police chief, said that the robbery which was carried out in just three minutes took place at 3:20 p.m. as four men dressed in short pants and ball caps casually walked into the pawnshop.
He added that only one of the men was armed while the rest carried lead pipes and hammers. Without any word, they started smashing the glass display cases, scooped up the jewelry inside and walked out.
“The security guard of the pawnshop was helpless during the robbery because apparently, he left his service firearm in his locker,” Reyes said.
Mall security guards who were several meters away from the pawnshop spotted the robbers and promptly gave chase.
At this point, the robber who was carrying a gun fired shots into the air, resulting in chaos.
“At the sound of the gunfire, the people panicked and scrambled for the near exit,” Reyes said.
In the confusion, the robbers managed to blend in with the crowd and escape with their loot.
“This was the work of the Martilyo (hammer) Gang,” Reyes said, referring to the notorious robbery group whose members use hammers to smash the jewelry glass display cases of establishments they target, usually pawnshops and jewelry stores.
He added that no one was hurt in the incident except for one of the robbers who apparently suffered a cut as he was taking the jewelry from the shattered glass display cases.
“There were bloodstains … and the pawnshop employees also saw the injured robber,” Reyes said.
The incident prompted the MRT to temporarily suspend its operations to ensure the safety of passengers. It resumed operations at 4 p.m., according to LRT Authority spokesperson Hernando Cabrera.