Hostage situation at Discovery Channel headquarters
September 2nd, 2010 - 1:56 am ICT by BNO News
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND (BNO NEWS) — Heavily armed police are responding to the Discovery Channel Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland on Wednesday afternoon after an armed male took hostages inside, police said.
A Montgomery County Police spokeswoman told BNO News that a 911 call came in at around 1 p.m. local time, stating that an Asian male armed with a weapon and possibly explosives had entered the lobby of the building.
“Our Emergency Response Team (ERT) responded, along with SWAT,” the spokeswoman said. Another spokesperson for Montgomery County Police said the suspect fired at least one round of shots, and was carrying what appeared to be an explosive device.
The spokesman said that at least one person was taken hostage, but media reports indicated that as many as 12 people could have been taken hostage.
NBC News identified the gunman as James Jay Lee, who has a history of protesting outside the Discovery Channel building. Police however, when asked about the identity of the gunman, were not able to confirm that report.
However, a MySpace profile matched the profile of the suspect. In his profile, Lee describes himself as a 43-year-old male from Silver Spring. He also referred to www.savetheplanetprotest.com, a website registed by Lee, and contains a threatening letter to Discovery Channel. It also puts up numerous demands.
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