Discovery Channel Hostage

Priscilla Yau

Last Wednesday, 43-year old gunman James Lee barricaded himself

inside the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. He
took three hostages; however, he was shot and killed by police at the end of
the event. He entered with explosives attached to the front and back of his
body and a handgun.
Around 1 p.m., James Lee
stormed into the headquarters
building and fired his gun multiple
times. There were no reports of
any injuries from the headquarters
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor 1,900 workers. There was a
are needed to see this picture. daycare center located in the first
floor of the building; the babies
were the first ones evacuated. Most
of the Discovery employees hid in
their offices with the door shut and
lights off.
While holding the hostages, Lee was consulting with some negotiators
over the phone for almost four hours. “At times during the negotiations, he
was calm, but I wouldn’t call him lucid. The conversation was indicative to
me he was dealing with some mental issues,” says Police Chief Thomas
Manger (of the Montgomery County Police Department).
James Lee has already had a previous record of protesting with
Discovery Channel. Two years ago, Lee was arrested for throwing cash
around outside the Discovery Channel’s headquarters. He then got a
restraining order to stay at least five hundred feet away from the building.
Lee’s website (savetheplanetprotest.com) states many of his demands
for Discovery. He believes that humans are ruining the planet and all
reproduction of humans should stop. He disapproves of many Discovery
Channel shows such as “Kate Plus 8” and “19 Kids and Counting” because
of the messages these shows project. James Lee announces, “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 the media, you
can reach enough people. It’s your responsibility because you reach so many
minds!”