Discovery HQ near Washington evacuated on reports of armed man; gunfire

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

The Discovery Channel building in Silver Spring, Md., has been evacuated because of reports of an armed man on the premises, CNN reports.

Update at 1:35 p.m. ET: WJLA reports that Montgomery County authorities confirmed the report and say that at least one shot was fired by the gunman.

Update at 1:37 p.m. ET: WJLA says witnesses heard "five or six" shots.

Update at 1:38 p.m. ET: WJLA says the suspect was carrying a shiny revolver and was carrying "tanks" on his back.

Update at 1:40 p.m. ET: Montgomery Co. Cpl. Dan Friz tells WJLA that the suspect was carrying what appeared to be an "explosive device."


Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/09/cnn-discovery-channel-hq-near-washington-evacuated-on-reports-of-armed-man/1

---

A man with what appears to be an explosive device on him has taken at least one hostage at the Discovery Building in downtown Silver Spring, Montgomery County Police said.

Cpl. Dan Friz said police received a call about 1 p.m., of shots fired in the lobby.

Tactical officers are on the scene and developing a plan to deal with the situation.

Police initially said the building was being evacuated, but employees said they were told via email to stay at their desks

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/crime-and-public-safety/discovery-building-being-evacu.html?hpid=topnews

[Ian David]

1. Someone unhappy that Sarah Palin's show isn't on the air yet? n/t

[RamboLiberal]

2. Glad you went there first

We were thinking somewhat alike.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

52. Sadly according to a piece I just read he's a rabid environmentalist

...and the Foxbots all breathe a sigh of relief as they learn he's part of the vast left wing conspiracy, and not another Glenn Beck fan having an "isolated incident". Can't wait to see how Fox "News" covers this...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/09/01/2010-09-01_reports_of_gunman_shots_fired_at_discovery_channel_hq_in_maryland.html

[PavePusher]

96. Wow. Jump the shark, much? Let us know how that crow tastes. n/t

[RamboLiberal]

3. Cube Rat so I can't see if CNN or MSNBC are covering

If anyone is viewing be great if you could give updates. So far at 2:00PM ABC seems to be only network website reporting.

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. MSNBC is covering it live.

They have tapped into a camera on a nearby building.

[DainBramaged]

4. "employees said they were told via email to stay at their desks"

Of course, mustn't let something as trivial as a gunman interfere with their work.


And the rest of the message read,


The beatings will continue until morale improves.

[RamboLiberal]

9. They sent good advice here IMHO

Employees at the building were told to take cover in locked offices and police have sent SWAT teams to the area to seal off nearby roads.The FBI and agents from ATF, including explosives experts, also rushed to the building.

"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," read an email sent to employees and read over the public address system.

The building has a daycare center, which witnesses say has been evacuated.



http://abcnews.go.com/US/gunman-enters-discovery-channel-headquarters-employees-evacuated/story?id=11535128

[DainBramaged]

10. Oh, I thought you WORKED for Discovery

I wanted to get Adam Savage's autograph....

[obxhead]

35. Yeah wtf? A mad dash to the exit by a group in a panic will

really help the situation. :eyes:

[DainBramaged]

41. Well, wheres the gun crowd clamoring for more guns everywhere

mad dash my wrinkled old ass.

[Lightning Count]

50. I'm guessing the Discovery Channel building has a "no concealed weapons" rule.

Just a guess though.

[24601]

59. It's Maryland - concealed carry almost impossible to get n/t

[Lightning Count]

61. I guess it's good that he's not concealing it then?

?

[24601]

65. Yeah - don't want to get in trouble n/t

[PavePusher]

97. Waiting for a little more fact and data...

so we don't hang our asses out in public like some people here before us.

Cheers!

[Ian David]

5. Twitter feeds of people on the scene

washingtonpost

#Discovery witnesses to follow: @afgld @metro_man @FixWMATA -- via @bydanielvictor of @TBD.
http://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/22728715424

http://twitter.com/afgld
http://twitter.com/metro_man
http://twitter.com/FixWMATA

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Thanks!

[nyc 4 Biden]

16. pic of the gunman from one of those twitter accts...

http://yfrog.com/2mhdmdj

[Lightning Count]

6. Man vs. Wild is getting intense. nt

[RamboLiberal]

11. Reported to be Asian - may be former employee

ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington, DC is reporting that the gunman is an Asian man and may be a former Discovery employee.

"A man entered the lobby and may have fired a weapon and declared, 'Nobody is going anywhere,'" Montgomery County police told WJLA.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/01/national/main6826450.shtml?tag=breakingnews

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. Someone tweeted a manifesto.

Not sure if related or not. Twitter isn't the exact science. ;)

http://savetheplanetprotest.com/

[Ian David]

20. I saw that too. Not sure if it's REALLY from the gunman

RT @wusa9: The gunman's demands can be found here: http://savetheplanetprotest.com/ (via @wanderingjess @washingtonian)
http://twitter.com/mikecarvalho/status/22729366753

[Lightning Count]

21. Are those demands for real?

A zero population growth nut?

[Ruby the Liberal]

23. MSNBC is confirming this now.

Real deal apparently.

[Lightning Count]

25. OMG.

Zero pop growth?

Solve global warming?

US responsible for all problems in the world?

And anchor babies?

[greyl]

27. He mentions a book in the first sentence there, but

if he did read it, he gravely misunderstood it.

[AngryAmish]

34. We get a lot of those around here

[texastoast]

63. Zero population growth is not nutty

It's extremely smart.

What is nutty is carrying a gun and trying to make people do what you want. This guy is mentally deranged and is a criminal. I hope the police trying to stop him are safe and successful in capturing the nutjob.

ZPG is wise and it will come to fruit but not before many have suffered and died because it came too late.

[AngryAmish]

81. Nope, it's nutty to be for population reduction

It is not a debatable point. It only gives the eugenicists a platform to debate them. Pig wrestling and whatnot.

[texastoast]

85. Then we will agree to disagree

The survival of the human race on a sustainable, long-term basis outweighs anything the eugenicists can come up with for this old poster. Their argument of specific survival is flawed and easily dismissed.

[AngryAmish]

89. So we disagree. On a more important point: I loooove texas toast.

It is irrational. Just big bread. But it makes me happy. There is a diner that my bride and I go top with our tot every Sunday. Their toast is Texas Toast. Fantastic. Makes my day.

[Ruby the Liberal]

22. MSNBC is now saying it is the real deal.

[X_Digger]

24. Domain info matches MSNBC report of name..

James Lee c/o Free Private Reg
P.O. Box 81024
Burnaby, BC V5H 4K2
CA

Domain name: SAVETHEPLANETPROTEST.COM

Administrative Contact:
Lee, James
P.O. Box 81024
Burnaby, BC V5H 4K2
CA

[bigworld]

26. James Lee's photo

http://www.savetheplanetprotest.com/protest.htm

[24601]

66. OK, we'll save the ants & bears...but not the fracking squirrels

At least we found the prime candidate for reducing the population by one. Poster moran for the retroactive abortion program.

[sabra]

30. source code from the page is showing it was last modified 7/18/2010

<o:LastSaved>2010-07-18T02:04:00Z</o:LastSaved>

[yodermon]

31. DAMMIT I hate to see Daniel Quinn's name connected to this

:(

[Atlatl]

72. That was one of the first things...

to go through my mind as well. The other was if he's so concerned with "overpopulation" then why not have the courage of his convictions and commit seppuku.

[Hoopla Phil]

98. I agree with that sentiment. Problem being, he may try to take a bunch that don't agree with him. .

with him.

[brooklynite]

13. live video from WJLA

http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/09/discovery-communications-headquaters-in-silver-spring-evacuated-7172.html

also at

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Roads-Shut-Down-Around-Discovery-Building-101987663.html

[slackmaster]

14. Did Paul Sr. finally lose it?

:hide:

[RamboLiberal]

15. Live feed here

http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/09/discovery-communications-headquaters-in-silver-spring-evacuated-7172.html

[Roland99]

17. Thank the gods for twitter

[Ian David]

18. Photo of gunman

We found this photo of #gunman http://yfrog.com/2mhdmdj RT @jdivenere pic my colleague sent of the discovery discovery gunman
http://twitter.com/wusa9/status/22730193079

[Born_A_Truman]

19. Watching MSNBC now ...

I've emailed my Discovery traffic colleagues in NY and hope their co-workers are safe in SS MD.

[SpeechlessDem]

28. ???

Why Discovery?
Why not Faux News??

I mean America could possibly have had a few hours with no broadcasting from Faux News!!!!

[bigworld]

29. This guy (if it's him) is a constant presence around the building. I've seen him a couple times.

Nut job.

[Stinky The Clown]

32. Yup, its him

James J. Lee

He's been protesting there for years. An environut. Not that his concerns are so wrong, but his tactics sure are.

He had a restraining order to stay away from the building back in 2008.

[Stinky The Clown]

33. Live video feed here

http://www.wtop.com/

Click the video link on their front page

[ehrnst]

37. Self Delete

[Erose999]

36. anybody got more info on his manifesto? I can't open that site from here at work.

I guess all the traffic has overloaded his server or something.

[X_Digger]

40. delete, posted below. n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

38. Full Copy of the Manifesto (before it is disappeared from the Internets)

The Discovery Channel MUST broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet and to do the following IMMEDIATELY:

1. The Discovery Channel and it's affiliate channels MUST have daily television programs at prime time slots based on Daniel Quinn's "My Ishmael" pages 207-212 where solutions to save the planet would be done in the same way as the Industrial Revolution was done, by people building on each other's inventive ideas. Focus must be given on how people can live WITHOUT giving birth to more filthy human children since those new additions continue pollution and are pollution. A game show format contest would be in order. Perhaps also forums of leading scientists who understand and agree with the Malthus-Darwin science and the problem of human overpopulation. Do both. Do all until something WORKS and the natural world starts improving and human civilization building STOPS and is reversed! MAKE IT INTERESTING SO PEOPLE WATCH AND APPLY SOLUTIONS!!!!

2. All programs on Discovery Health-TLC must stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false heroics behind those actions. In those programs' places, programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility must be pushed. All former pro-birth programs must now push in the direction of stopping human birth, not encouraging it.

3. All programs promoting War and the technology behind those must cease. There is no sense in advertising weapons of mass-destruction anymore. Instead, talk about ways to disassemble civilization and concentrate the message in finding SOLUTIONS to solving global military mechanized conflict. Again, solutions solutions instead of just repeating the same old wars with newer weapons. Also, keep out the fraudulent peace movements. They are liars and fakes and had no real intention of ending the wars. ALL OF THEM ARE FAKE! On one hand, they claim they want the wars to end, on the other, they are demanding the human population increase. World War II had 2 Billion humans and after that war, the people decided that tripling the population would assure peace. WTF??? STUPIDITY! MORE HUMANS EQUALS MORE WAR!

4. Civilization must be exposed for the filth it is. That, and all its disgusting religious-cultural roots and greed. Broadcast this message until the pollution in the planet is reversed and the human population goes down! This is your obligation. If you think it isn't, then get hell off the planet! Breathe Oil! It is the moral obligation of everyone living otherwise what good are they??

5. Immigration: Programs must be developed to find solutions to stopping ALL immigration pollution and the anchor baby filth that follows that. Find solutions to stopping it. Call for people in the world to develop solutions to stop it completely and permanently. Find solutions FOR these countries so they stop sending their breeding populations to the US and the world to seek jobs and therefore breed more unwanted pollution babies. FIND SOLUTIONS FOR THEM TO STOP THEIR HUMAN GROWTH AND THE EXPORTATION OF THAT DISGUSTING FILTH! (The first world is feeding the population growth of the Third World and those human families are going to where the food is! They must stop procreating new humans looking for nonexistant jobs!)

6. Find solutions for Global Warming, Automotive pollution, International Trade, factory pollution, and the whole blasted human economy. Find ways so that people don't build more housing pollution which destroys the environment to make way for more human filth! Find solutions so that people stop breeding as well as stopping using Oil in order to REVERSE Global warming and the destruction of the planet!

7. Develop shows that mention the Malthusian sciences about how food production leads to the overpopulation of the Human race. Talk about Evolution. Talk about Malthus and Darwin until it sinks into the stupid people's brains until they get it!!

8. Saving the Planet means saving what's left of the non-human Wildlife by decreasing the Human population. That means stopping the human race from breeding any more disgusting human babies! You're the media, you can reach enough people. It's your resposibility because you reach so many minds!!!

9. Develop shows that will correct and dismantle the dangerous US world economy. Find solutions for their disasterous Ponzi-Casino economy before they take the world to another nuclear war.

10. Stop all shows glorifying human birthing on all your channels and on TLC. Stop Future Weapons shows or replace the dialogue condemning the people behind these developments so that the shows become exposes rather than advertisements of Arms sales and development!

11. You're also going to find solutions for unemployment and housing. All these unemployed people makes me think the US is headed toward more war.

Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding culture.

For every human born, ACRES of wildlife forests must be turned into farmland in order to feed that new addition over the course of 60 to 100 YEARS of that new human's lifespan! THIS IS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE FOREST CREATURES!!!! All human procreation and farming must cease!

It is the responsiblity of everyone to preserve the planet they live on by not breeding any more children who will continue their filthy practices. Children represent FUTURE catastrophic pollution whereas their parents are current pollution. NO MORE BABIES! Population growth is a real crisis. Even one child born in the US will use 30 to a thousand times more resources than a Third World child. It's like a couple are having 30 babies even though it's just one! If the US goes in this direction maybe other countries will too!

Also, war must be halted. Not because it's morally wrong, but because of the catastrophic environmental damage modern weapons cause to other creatures. FIND SOLUTIONS JUST LIKE THE BOOK SAYS! Humans are supposed to be inventive. INVENT, DAMN YOU!!

The world needs TV shows that DEVELOP solutions to the problems that humans are causing, not stupify the people into destroying the world. Not encouraging them to breed more environmentally harmful humans.

Saving the environment and the remaning species diversity of the planet is now your mindset. Nothing is more important than saving them. The Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Elephants, Froggies, Turtles, Apes, Raccoons, Beetles, Ants, Sharks, Bears, and, of course, the Squirrels.

The humans? The planet does not need humans.

You MUST KNOW the human population is behind all the pollution and problems in the world, and YET you encourage the exact opposite instead of discouraging human growth and procreation. Surely you MUST ALREADY KNOW this!

I want Discovery Communications to broadcast on their channels to the world their new program lineup and I want proof they are doing so. I want the new shows started by asking the public for inventive solution ideas to save the planet and the remaining wildlife on it.

These are the demands and sayings of Lee.

[NoodleyAppendage]

42. Sounds like a classic paranoid schizophrenic or delusional disorder.

And, that is a professional opinion.

J

[Lightning Count]

43. You must be a breeder and part of the problem.

:)

[drm604]

46. Seems obvious to me

and I'm not even a professional. This is a sick individual. I hope no one gets hurt.

[Warpy]

57. I agree

and that's a quasi professional opinion combined with surviving a world class crazy family, a tinfoil on letters to the CIA so the aliens won't read them with microwave beams crazy.

It's very recognizable.

[slackmaster]

60. Off his meds and out of his tree

I concur.

[texastoast]

67. Whoa, serious anger

And typing out that manifesto did NOT help him to relieve it, apparently.

No balance. This guy is willing to throw it all away. How sad for him not to see any good in humanity at all.

[sofa king]

76. He's a militant libraconservapsycholoon.

In my highly unprofessional opinion.

[DainBramaged]

44. stopping ALL immigration pollution and the anchor baby filth that follows that

well, somewhere in there was a Freeper.

[superduperfarleft]

45. Yeah, I can sympathize with him. I hate "Kate Plus Eight" also.

Albeit for different (sane) reasons...

[RamboLiberal]

54. Add in the Duggars who won't give up cranking babies out

Even though they had critical medical problems with both mother and preemie on the last one.

[24601]

68. Cranking voters out.... n/t

[Bette Noir]

49. Yikes. His poor mother.

[gvstn]

53. Thanks it appears to be disappeared already!

[Turborama]

95. It's still up

http://savetheplanetprotest.com/

[gvstn]

100. Thanks

For several hours all links and archives seemed to be dead.

I use the resurrect this page addon in FF and no cached files could be found on any servers. I realized after my post that HuffPo and others had the demands detailed.

I appreciate the help and really thought that the list had been deleted. :)

[RamboLiberal]

55. Faux News & RW yakkers & bloggers must be in orgasm

A domestic whacko they can blame on the left. He had his awakening at Al Gore's film. Wonder how tasteless they'll get!

Hey, we're calling him a nutjob too!

[Dappleganger]

56. So, what is the Duggar's show which set him off?

Or was Kate Plus 8??

[gkhouston]

101. They've got a lot of shows in their lineup about people with a brazillion kids

and people having babies. I'm not sure who watches them. I see them listed on the cable guide as I'm flipping channels. You'd think he'd be in favor of war, given its tendency to reduce population. Guess it's not effective enough for him. I'm trying to imagine a game show promoting sterility or infertility...

[AngryOldDem]

58. What does he expect Discovery to do?

Why single out that network?

How long has this beef been festering?

[Blue_Tires]

90. Passioned, but doesn't have the stylistic flair of the Unabomber

:hide:

[Turborama]

94. The link to "savetheplanetprotest" is still working

At the moment...

http://savetheplanetprotest.com/

[ehrnst]

39. He was arrested in 2008 - picture and article here:

http://dcist.com/2008/02/discovery_chann.php

[Tuesday_Morning]

51. link with video

of his money throwing that led to his arrest in 08:

http://www.silverspringsingular.com/2008/03/lees-got-handful-of-stacks-better-grab.html

[Erose999]

47. He's been protesting Discovery for a while. Supposedly he paid homeless people $10 an hour to picket

according to an article posted earlier.

http ://4.bp.blogspot.com/__kg1WC-lWe0/R5ym8rWbxnI/AAAAAAAAAcM/N2FYtGNNJQw/s1600/protest. jpg

With advertising like this its no wonder he had to pay people to participate lol.

[npk]

77. Well at least he is providing more assistance to the homeless than our government is. n/t

[gvstn]

48. Here's some background

Didn't trudge through the old link but it looks like they committed him for a few days in 2008.

http://www.silverspringsingular.com/search/label/Discovery%20Protest

The long thread http://savetheplanetprotest.yuku.com/topic/353/t/Save-The-Planet-Protest.html?page=13 looks like some folks from that building were pretty harsh to him.

[Drale]

62. instead of

Not glorifing human birth we need to take crazy people like this and everyone at faux news put them on a rock tell them they are going to mars then "accedently" aim it into deep space. Violence is never the answer, no matter what the problem.

[OKNancy]

64. anyone hear the caller interviewed on MSNBC ( blames Palin)

She was a worker who said she was worried about ..?? couldn't hear.?? I think she said what Palin said on Facebook.
Did anyone else hear that?

[kimi]

70. Yup, I did

And the commentator almost immediately ended the interview and quickly said that Palin had nothing to do with it this situation, something like that.

I got the impression that the lady was referring to the "Lock and reload" comments that Palin makes on occasion.

[bigworld]

69. Gunman shot by police and taken into custody. Hostages okay.

Yay for the Montco police.

[kimi]

71. No confirmation is the gunman is dead or not

but they thought hostages were in danger.

I'm proud of my police force! They done good.

[Stinky The Clown]

73. They just said he's in custody

That means only that he is not dead. He could be in any condition. The police chief said he had no report on his condition. (watching local news)

[bigworld]

74. his body could be in custody.

Notice they didn't say "arrested" ?

[chrisa]

75. Dead as a doornail, I think.

Especially if he was hit by a sniper.

[guitar man]

79. MSNBC now says he's dead nt

[bergie321]

78. Good thing

States are cutting back the budgets to mental health care. This guy just needs to pull himself up by his bootstraps. $0.05 says he got the gun at a gun show.

[Hoopla Phil]

99. I'll take that bet. Your on.

[kimi]

80. Don't know how CBS News would know

but they say that Lee is dead.

No official confirmation, though.

ETA: Reported on MSNBC, like guitarman says.

[Land Shark]

82. His demands of Discovery Channel (environmental) can be read at this link

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2010/09/james_lees_demands_of_discover.php

[alp227]

83. Good thing the workers are safe. Don't know about his condition...justice will prevail

Now addressing his concerns, while I support environmentalism this nutcase is one misguided asshole. Anti-natalism sort of creeps me out to be honest. Why doesn't Discovery/TLC/etc. just broadcast more "green" programming then? Just because of the climate change denial lobby? And that remark he made about "anchor babies" was just not necessary wasn't it?

[Honeyporter735]

84. Question for MSNBC

why, during the hostage situation, were they reporting him as "an Asian man"
instead of just using his name? If it a was a black man or a white man would they have reported it that way?

[Honeyporter735]

87. What did his race have to do with it?

If FAUX had done that in their graphics the DU would have exploded.

[texastoast]

93. You are right--for some DU'ers

Others, not so much.

[slackmaster]

86. Tragic ending for a deeply troubled man

Too bad he didn't get the help he needed.

[Honeyporter735]

88. he probably didn't think

that he needed it. From reading his "manifesto" he believed we are all the insane ones.

[Lightning Count]

91. His goal was met. Population is now one down. nt

[Honeyporter735]

92. LOL.

I admit, I laughed out loud at that.

[femrap]

102. Here's a copy of James Lee's Manifesto.....

http://www.salon.com/news/crime/?story=/news/feature/2010/09/01/james_j_lee_manifesto_discovery_gunman


This is what happens when Corporations have Freedom of Speech and we don't. It also reflects what happens when the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated from the MSM.

This dude felt he had no way to get people see problems from another angle. He wanted people to spend time on thinking of solutions.

And I'm with him when it comes to overpopulation. This was a huge issue back in the '60's and '70's. But patriarchy didn't approve because then women wouldn't be staying home and being quiet....they'd want to go out and be creative and enter the world as equals. So the organized religions got together and decided to 'allow' women to have 'power' only through motherhood...compulsory or otherwise...all part of the MSM brainwashing....'be eye candy to get a man to give you a baby.'

I'm sad to see that he felt so compelled and felt he had no outlet for his ideas. The Fairness Doctrine needs to be reenacted.

RIP. Mother Nature will have the final say.

[Warren DeMontague]

103. Really? Some violent, insane asshole threatens to kill people, and you blame the repeal of the

fairness doctrine?

I'm sorry, but even WITH the fairness doctrine, mentally ill people, folks with multiple personalities, obsessive compulsive axe-grinding anti-breeder types and the like wouldn't have "equal time" on cable networks.

And you're "with him when it comes to overpopulation". I'm sure it's useless to mention that overpopulation- i.e. birth rates- isn't a problem in the US, Europe, Japan, etc. No, no point. You're "with him". You must be very proud.