[2] The saga ended when the two adult hostages escaped the house, the third—a child—was rescued, and Baltimore County Police fatally shot Palczynski as he was reaching for a gun.
In the years before his shooting rampage, Palczynski, an electrician and bodybuilder, had a lengthy record of domestic violence and related crimes.
[citation needed] On March 7, 2000, a triple homicide occurred in the quiet community of Bowley's Quarters near Middle River (a suburb to the east of Baltimore), an area not accustomed to violent crime.
[citation needed] For ten days following the triple shooting, Palczynski was the subject of an intense manhunt involving every available law enforcement unit.
The officers, using the latest technology and all available equipment, formed a barrier with roadblocks and other borders, surrounding the area where they believed Palczynski had been.
Palczynski saw McDonel's death and the carjacking reported on the news in the motel room, and realized his guns were in the vehicle which he had just stolen, and which police were looking for.
On Friday, March 10, Palczynski fled to Virginia, where he kidnapped William Louis Terrell and ordered him to transport him back to eastern Baltimore County.
During the kidnapping, he ordered Terrell to drive to a shopping center in White Marsh, which included a Best Buy and a Target.
For the following 97 hours, nearly four days, Palczynski held the family hostage in their home, ignoring the requests of law enforcement and negotiators to release them, and occasionally firing shots.
During the standoff, no one was permitted to enter the neighborhood of the hostage situation, an area that police defined as an "inner perimeter".
Afterward, they justified their decision, saying that it was his only request, and they feared that if they granted it, he might have killed Whitehead's mother and the other hostages while Tracy listened on the phone.
A documentary aired on British TV station More 4 on April 7, 2010, said that they believed, because he was a child, if they woke him up he might be upset, make noise, and wake up Palczynski.
While some members of the public questioned the shooting of an unarmed man, the police determined their actions were justified.
[9] After the siege, McCord attempted to collect a $10,000 reward offered for the apprehension of Palczynski, claiming he was the first to call 911, which resulted in capture of the suspect.
[11] McCord and Whitehead, the former hostages, filed a lawsuit against police, alleging that the department failed to protect them and their son.