Sunday, May 25, 2008 (Philippines)

JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES. Policemen prepare to barge into the pension house where the suspects allegedly hide. The chase ended when they were able to pin down one of the two suspects (inset), who, just hours earlier, robbed two adjacent pawnshops on Magallanes St., Cebu City and took assorted pieces of jewelry. (Sun.Star Photos/Alex Badayos) EIGHT men, armed with pistols and long firearms, robbed two adjacent jewelry stores across a university on Magallanes St. in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City past 11 a.m. yesterday. No cash were taken but the robbers hauled all the assorted jewelry, mostly Chinese gold, displayed in the glass cases. An inventory of the stolen items is still being conducted to determine the total amount of loot. Two civilians were injured when the fleeing robbers traded gunshots with a lone off-duty cop who happened to be on Magallanes St. when the noontime heist took place. [full story]