Solved case · 2020
Also known as 2020 Virra Mall hostage crisis · 2020 V-Mall hostage crisis
The short answer
On March 2, 2020, a security guard took 55 people hostage at Virra Mall in Greenhills, San Juan, Philippines, demanding to air grievances over his alleged unjust termination. One officer was shot and wounded, but all hostages were freed unharmed after a nine-hour standoff.
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Suggest coverage for 2020 Greenhills hostage crisisOn March 2, 2020, Alchie Paray, a 40-year-old security guard employed by Safeguard Armor Security Corporation (SASCOR), entered the employees' entrance of Virra Mall in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, at around 11:14 a.m. armed with a .45 caliber pistol. He was confronted by a security officer, whom he shot twice; the wounded officer was taken to Cardinal Santos Medical Center and reported in stable condition. Paray then took people hostage at the mall's finance/administration office on the second floor, holding a total of 55 people.
Greenhills management contacted San Juan city police at 11:22 a.m., and a police response including a SWAT team and city police chief Colonel Jaime Santos arrived within minutes. Paray demanded that all mall security guards gather outside and later demanded media presence. Police set up a command post inside the Greenhills chapel around 12:30 p.m., and the mall was placed under lockdown around 1 p.m. San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora and National Capital Region Police Office chief Debold Sinas arrived at the scene, and Greenhills management publicly confirmed the hostage situation at 2:30 p.m.
Police began arranging a press conference at 4 p.m. to satisfy Paray's demand for media access, and by 5 p.m. media representatives from CNN, GMA, ABS-CBN, and TV5, along with SASCOR representatives, were brought in for a briefing. At 6 p.m., six SASCOR officials announced their intention to resign in an effort to appease Paray. Paray responded by demanding that two of them eat ₱2,500 in cash in front of the media, later agreeing to drop the demand if police publicly pleaded with him not to force the act.
The hostages were released unharmed at around 8:16 p.m. Paray exited with them, initially believed to be unarmed, and spoke on national television for about 20 minutes to air his grievances against his former employers before police arrested him at approximately 8:45 p.m. Police recovered a .45 caliber pistol, sixteen rounds of ammunition, and a tactical knife from Paray; a drug test returned negative results.
Paray was charged with frustrated murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, illegal possession of explosives, and serious illegal detention. Following the incident, the Department of Labor and Employment was urged by Senator Joel Villanueva and the labor group Defend Jobs Philippines to investigate the labor issues Paray had raised, and the Philippine National Police placed SASCOR under investigation. Paray was sentenced to 6 years in prison in 2021.
Alchie Paray enters Virra Mall's employee entrance around 11:14 a.m., shoots a security officer twice, and takes hostages at the finance office.
Greenhills management contacts San Juan city police at 11:22 a.m.; SWAT team and city police chief arrive within minutes.
Police set up command post inside the Greenhills chapel around 12:30 p.m.; mall placed under lockdown around 1 p.m.
Greenhills management publicly confirms the hostage taking at 2:30 p.m.
Media representatives brought in for briefing with police around 5 p.m.
Six SASCOR officials announce intention to resign at 6 p.m.; Paray demands two of them eat money in front of media.
Hostages freed around 8:16 p.m.; Paray airs grievances on national television before being arrested around 8:45 p.m.
Alchie Paray sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Security guard who took 55 people hostage at Virra Mall on March 2, 2020; charged with frustrated murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, illegal possession of explosives, and serious illegal detention; sentenced to 6 years in prison in 2021.[3]
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief who arrived at the hostage taking site.[3]
San Juan city police chief who responded to the hostage crisis.[3]
From the record
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