Last night, Michelle, Jeanne, and I were having dinner at Gumbo, SM Mega Mall, when I heard what sounded like falling water or breaking sheet glass, I looked and saw people running, stopping, then looking back at the source of the sound, then running again. I figured there was some huge pipe leak or someone going amok or even a pet gone wild. We stayed on our seats but I watched out just in case the situation gets worse.
Then more people passed by running and I heard the word “shootout”. Michelle grabbed our stuff and we quickly moved back deeper into the restaurant along with the other diners. Images of Newtown in my head, I stayed close to the entry hall to block entry and looked for something to use as a weapon just in case the shit hits the fan. I don’t have even just a folder and all I could see was this huge rolling pin on the kitchen counter. Yeah, funny now when I think about it. Someone grabbed a fire extinguisher.
After quite a while, things sort of quieted down so I sat down. The manager asked us if we still want our order. I asked how things are going and he said it’s still ongoing. After some thought, we decided to just stay and eat. We had oysters and jambalaya. Either we didn’t have the appetite or the cooks we’re cooking under stress or it was really the food. Whatever the case, it didn’t taste good.
After eating, paying and a few more minutes of waiting, the manager informed us tentatively that it’s clear and that they were closing shop. We and the other customers filed out of the store and out a nearby fire exit.
Outside, we saw a spectating crowd. We moved away as fast as possible, a panicked stampeding crowd is often more deadly than the cause of the panic, and headed to the parking. Good thing we were parked outside. We quickly got in the car and drove home.
Back home, we learned that robbers had struck at the jewelry section of the department store, fired a few shots to start a panic, and escaped along with the running crowd. It had been all over in the first few minutes.