Fired security guard arrested after holding dozens hostage in Manila

March 2 (UPI) -- A disgruntled former mall security guard in the Philippines was taken into custody Monday evening after an hours-long standoff during which he injured one person and took 30 others hostage before releasing them.

Archie Paray, 32, entered the Virra Mall in Manila on Monday morning, shot one security guard and held more than two dozen hostage inside an administrative office on the second floor, officials said. Hours of negotiation with an armed SWAT team led to his arrest after receiving a public apology from the company.

During a video conference, Paray expressed anger at a "corrupt system in the company" he said looked down on security guards. Six company directors resigned from their positions after the incident. The security guard Paray shot remained in stable condition.

"Management continues to cooperate with authorities and will have a post-incident assessment with the police to avoid a repeat of this unfortunate situation," the mall said in a statement on Facebook. "Management will also look into allegations made by the hostage-taker against security agency officials who allegedly take bribes from tenants to disregard shopping mall policies."

San Juan District Mayor Francis Zamora told reporters the situation began at around 10 a.m. when the suspect entered the mall and opened fire before taking some 30 people, mostly mall vendors, hostage on the second level of the shopping center.

"He feels bad because he was terminated as a guard," Zamora said. "He tried to convince his fellow security guards to join him, but no one did."

Capt. Georel Calipusan of the San Juan City Police Department said the area was under lockdown during negotiations, state-run Philippine News Agency reported.