Hostages Held at Discovery Building in Maryland

At around 1p.m., shots were fired in the lobby of the Discovery Channel headquarters building at One Discovery Place in Silver Spring, Maryland, according to local police. The man who fired the shots appears to have explosive devices strapped to his body. Employees, who were originally instructed to leave the building, were then instructed by email to take cover and lock their offices. The email sent to the employees said, “We have reason to believe there is an armed gunman at One Discovery Place. All employees should seek protection in a locked office on their respective floors immediately.”

Some employees were able to leave the building, but others remain inside. The Discover Channel, which owns Animal Planet, Discovery Health, FitTV, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Science Channel, and TLC, also warned employees over the intercom system about the intruder. The police have not yet been able to identify the gunman or his motives, but have confirmed that at least one person has been taken hostage inside the building.

Montgomery County fire department spokesman Capt. Oscar Garcia has reported that bomb technicians are responding to the scene. Garcia explained that the first report they received was of a suspicious package, but Montgomery County Police Cpl. Dan Friz later reported that a gunman was in the Discovery building. FBI and ATF are also responding to the scene.

A nearby daycare has also been evacuated, and all children have been safely removed from the area. The scene is chaotic and police and other officials are working to develop a plan to deal with the gunman.

Shadra Bruce is a contributing reporter for News By The Second.