Suspected robber killed in Philippine shopping mall shootout

At least one suspected robber was killed in a broad daylight shoot-out with police inside a popular shopping mall in the financial district of the Philippine capital Sunday noon.

Local TV news network ABS-CBN reported that security forces of the Greenbelt 5 Shopping Mall engaged six heavily-armed men in black uniforms who allegedly robbed a high-end watch store Sunday morning in the sprawling mall.

The mall was immediately shut down and shoppers were evacuated out of the cordoned-off area.

There is also unverified report saying one by-stander was injured by stray bullets.

Greenbelt malls, managed by the wealthy Ayala family, is a popular hang-out for middle-class Filipinos. The adjacent Glorietta shopping mall, also run by the Ayalas, was hit by an explosion in 2007, leaving 12 dead and more than 100 injured. Police investigators said the blast, widely believed a terrorist attack, was merely an accident.

Source:Xinhua