A security guard angered by his sacking shot one person and took around 30 others hostage at a Manila mall on Monday, sending terrified shoppers fleeing and prompting his superiors to apologise in a bid to end the standoff. Scores of police officers in battle gear and carrying assault rifles were massed at the V-Mall in the Philippine capital, where the guard -- who said he had a grenade -- was barricaded with hostages in an office. One security guard was shot in the initial burst of violence and was rushed to hospital where he was in stable condition, said Francis Zamora, mayor of the San Juan City, which includes the mall. "We'll do our best to settle this issue peacefully," Zamora told reporters, adding the hostage taker was upset after losing his job. Authorities were trying to convince him to surrender, and held a press conference where company officers apologised for upsetting him. "I deeply regret my shortcomings," one supervisor said. "Because of this, I will resign from my post... to give way to a solution to our current problem." Police have been in contact with the suspect for hours via a walkie talkie. Philippine malls are centres of life that include everything from restaurants and shops, to churches and medical facilities. The building was full when the violence began. Zamora said authorities believe there are "around 30" people being held. Witness John Paul Buenavista told AFP he saw a wounded person -- believed to be a guard at the mall -- being put into a wheelchair and whisked away. "We heard three gunshots. Then we saw people running, saying they saw someone getting shot," he said. Manila was the site of a high-profile 2010 hostage-taking that ended with the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists. That day-long ordeal started when an ex-police officer, armed with an M-16 assault rifle, hijacked a bus near a popular tourist destination just a few blocks from police headquarters in a desperate bid to get his job back. Negotiations broke down after nightfall and the ex-officer began shooting passengers, prompting commandos to storm the bus. str-bur/jm/fox