2020 Greenhills hostage crisis
hostage taking in San Juan, Metro Manila
On March 2, 2020, 40-year-old Alchie Paray, who worked as a security guard at the Greenhills shopping mall complex in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, the Philippines, took 55 people hostage at the administration office on the second floor of the Virra Mall. Paray was an employee of the mall's security agency, Safeguard Armor Security Corporation (SASCOR), and believed he was a subject of unjust termination. During the standoff, Paray demanded the authorities to air his grievances against his former employers. Only one person was injured during the incident, and Paray was arrested after he freed the hostages.
Background
Perpetrator
Alchie Paray is a 40-year-old man who previously worked as a security guard at the Virra Mall as an employee under SASCOR. There were varying accounts regarding the circumstances of his employment with SASCOR. Paray expressed his belief that he was a subject of unjust termination. SASCOR general manager Oscar Hernandez disputed the claims, saying that Paray was not dismissed from employment and was supposed to be reassigned to a different location as part of the company's policy of rotating security guards.
Paray also addressed the rampant corruption in Greenhills.
During the hostage taking, Paray maintained contact with local authorities and the media through his mobile phone and a walkie-talkie.
Hostage taking
The hostage crisis began when Paray, armed with a .45 caliber pistol, entered the employees' entrance of the Virra Mall at around 11:14 am. Paray was confronted by a security officer, who he promptly shot twice.
“2020 Greenhills hostage crisis” enters the record as hostage taking in San Juan, Metro Manila. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Greenhills, hostage and crisis can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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