‘Hostage situation’ reported at Discovery Channel headquarters in Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland police were dispatched to Discovery Communications headquarters on Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring for a report of a gunman in the building shortly after 1pm local time today.

The situation is ongoing, and the alleged gunman has not yet been identified. According to local news, parts of the building, including the Discovery Channel day care, have been evacuated. The children were taken to a nearby McDonald’s, and there are said to be approximately 100 of them, all safe and accounted for.

Montgomery County police spokesman Cpl. Dan Friz updated media on the situation as of 1:40pm local time:

According to Cpl. Dan Friz, a Montgomery County police spokesman, a tactical team is trying to get in touch with the gunman, who is being monitored on closed circuit TV.

The “tactical team has put together a plan for dealing with this individual,” Friz told ABC 7 News.

Friz was unable to confirm reports that multiple shots have been fired, but he said no shots had been fired by police as of 1:40 p.m.

As of 2:25 pm, all workers had reportedly been evacuated from the building and asked to leave for the day. Further reports indicate that there is at least one hostage still in the building.