Police to ex-cop on rampage: ‘This has gone far enough’
Credit: Los Angeles Police Dept. newsletter via NBCLosAngeles
Christopher Jordan Dorner is seen in a photo from a 2006 LAPD newsletter. Dorner was on the force until 2008, and he was a reservist in the U.S. Navy.
By Kari Huus and Tracy Connor, NBC News
Updated at 6:25 p.m. ET
An ex-cop suspected of killing three people including a policeman and threatening to kill others — as laid out in a chilling online manifesto — continued to elude a massive manhunt midday Monday despite local, state and federal agents following leads throughout Southern California.
Speaking to a packed press conference, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck chronicled the bloody events up to this point, and called on the alleged gunman, 33-year-old Christopher Dorner, to turn himself in.
"This has gone far enough," said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. "No one else needs to die."
Dorner, a 270-pound former Navy reservist who was tossed off the police force in 2008, was acting out of revenge, according his 11,300-word treatise — a cached version of which was obtained by NBCLosAngeles.com — and was targeting not only perceived enemies, but their families as well.
"I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, I’m terminating yours," Dorner wrote in his rambling manifesto, addressing LAPD officials he blamed for ruining his career.
"Look your wives/husbands and surviving children directly in the face and tell them the truth as to why your children are dead."
Dorner has an arsenal of weapons, including assault rifles, police said. Citizens were told to call 911 if they see his dark gray 2005 Nissan Titan truck, but warned not to approach him, describing him as "extremely dangerous."
Dorner is a 2001 graduate of Southern Utah University, where he majored in political science and minored in psychology and played football for at least two of those years, the university confirmed.
He was a lieutenant in the Navy Reserves from 2002 until this week, and earned a ribbon for rifle marksmanship and a medal for pistol expertise. He was honorably discharged.
He joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 2005 and was fired for making false statements in 2008.
Police say Dorner began his killing spree on Sunday.
Monica Quan, 28, and her fiancé, Keith Lawrence, 27, were fatally shot while parking their car at their apartment complex after a Super Bowl party. Quan is the daughter of retired LAPD Capt. Randy Quan, who represented Dorner at the internal review that led to his ouster.
On Wednesday, they say Dorner tried and failed to steal a boat in San Diego, Beck said. No one was hurt in that incident.
Hours later, he began targeting cops, they said.
At 1:25 a.m., in Chino, LAPD cops assigned to protect someone named in the manifesto came under fire. One cop suffered a graze wound to his head, "literally inches from killing him," Beck said.
Twenty minutes later, in Riverside, he ambushed two cops stopped at a red light. One officer was killed and the other is in stable condition.
Police in Riverside said that they had notified the family of the slain policeman, but did not reveal his identity because out of concern that it might endanger his family members.
The attacks left police on protection and search details across the region on edge — with tragic results.
At 5:15 a.m. in Torrance, police assigned to watch the home of a potential target got a report of a vehicle like Dorner’s in the area, and then spotted it driving with the lights off.
Police fired at the vehicle and wounded two women who were out delivering newspapers. The Los Angeles Times reported that one was shot in the back and one in the hand and both were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The back of their blue pickup was riddled with bullet holes, the report said.
Related: Women shot by cops were just delivering papers
"Tragically we believe this was a case of mistaken identity by the officers," said Chief Beck.
Later in the day, dozens of cops surrounded a motel in San Diego where a man matching Dorner’s description was reported to be holed up. KNSD said police eventually confirmed the man inside was not the suspect.
"It's extremely intense," Sgt. Rudy Lopez said of the dragnet to capture the suspect before anyone else is killed.
"We're trying to identify where he's been, where he's going. In this case, we are the targets. He's brazen. He's on a hunt to do whatever havoc he can."
Dorner’s manifesto, titled "Last Resort," is a road map of his rage over being tossed off the force. He claims that he was punished for accusing his field training officer of brutalizing a mentally disabled man.
"The attacks will stop when the department states the truth about my innocence, PUBLICLY!!!" he wrote.
Half of it chronicles the wrongs Dorner says he suffered, stretching all the way back to a racial slur used against him in the first grade. He portrays the LAPD as rife with racism, corruption and abuse.
There is a long passage in which he expresses support for an assault-weapons ban, and a plea that his brain be preserved for scientific research on the effects of depression.
The document also contains page after page of praise for friends, political figures, journalists and celebrities and opinions on issues of the day — from women in combat to the boycott of Chick-fil-A.
Mostly, though, he talks about his bloodthirsty plans. He claims his arsenal includes "Bushmaster firearms, Remington precision rifles" and silencers and boasts that his knowledge of police tactics will allow him to elude capture.
"I know I will be villified (sic) by the LAPD and the media," he wrote. "Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name."
At an emotion press conference in Riverside, home to the fallen officer, Police Chief Sergio Diaz said that judging by Dorner’s manifesto, the fugitive had a "depraved mind and heart."
Diaz, like his counterpart in Los Angeles, said the suspect should turn himself in.
"His grievances will not be further aired by further violence."
More from nbclosangeles.com:
- Revenge Shooter Experienced In Weaponry, Strategy
- Candlelight Vigil to be Held for Slain Riverside Officer
- Female Driver Surrenders After High-Speed Pursuit
- Help Sought in Finding Ex-Cop on Shooting Spree
Suspect's Torched Truck Found in Big Bear, Sheriff Confirms
Law enforcement conducts door-to-door searches
Feb. 7, 2013: An aerial view of a burned truck discovered in the Big Bear area.
Big Bear schools were on lockdown and ski slopes shuttered as authorities conducted door-to-door searches Thursday after finding a burned-out truck that belonged to Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer accused of carrying out a revenge plot against law enforcement and their families.
Sheriff's department personnel were able to reach the vehicle at 2:30 p.m. on a forestry road, officials said. They used the vehicle identification number to confirm the truck belonged to Dorner, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said at an afternoon news conference.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of officers injured and killed this morning," McMahon said. "It's truly a sad and tragic day in all of law enforcement."
Deputies, assisted by local, state and federal police and forestry experts, combed through the moutain neighborhoods as sunlight faded and cold set in. Up to 20 additional deputies were expected to patrol the area around the clock to "make sure the community's safe," McMahon said. Extra officers were also posted at the bottom of the mountain on highways 18 and 330, checking vehicles coming down and going up, he said.
"We found tracks around the vehicle, but they did not lead to the suspect," McMahon said.
Deputies will search until they either capture him or determine he's no longer in the Big Bear area, McMahon said.
"He could be anywhere at this point," McMahon said. "That's why we're searching door to door.
"We’re doing everything we can to search the area in an attempt to find him."
The burned out carcass of a truck was first reported about 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the 2000 block of Club View Drive south of Big Bear Lake.
Nearby schools were placed on lockdown about 12:30 p.m., according to the Bear Valley Unified School District.
"Due to an ongoing law enforcement investigation in the Bear Mountain area, we have made a decision to keep all of our students at our school sites until a parent and/or guardian is able to pick them up," wrote Superintendent District Kurt Madden on the district's Facebook page.
Sheriff department personnel -- including SWAT officers -- were dispatched to the area as a precautionary measure, said Jodi Miller of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Aerial video recorded Thursday showed a pickup truck that was charred, making it difficult to distinguish its original color. Dorner was last seen in a gray or dark blue Nissan Titan with California license plate 8D83997.
Bear Mountain snow resort was closed for the day, while Snow Summit planned to remain open. Big Bear Mountain Resorts runs both locations.
"We are in constant contact with federal and local authorities regarding this situation," said Chris Riddle, spokesperson for Big Bear Mountain Resorts. "We felt it was in the best interest of the search to close Bear Mountain for the rest of the day."
Dorner is accused of fatally shooting a newly engaged couple in Irvine on Sunday as part of a revenge plot against law enforcement. One of the victims was the daughter of Randal Quan, LAPD's first Asian-American captain who was mentioned by name in a manifesto apparently written by the disgruntled Dorner.
Dorner also allegedly shot at four police officers early Thursday morning in two separate encounters. One officer was killed and another severely wounded.
Aerial video recorded Thursday showed a pickup truck that was charred, making it difficult to distinguish its original color. Dorner was last seen in a gray or dark blue Nissan Titan with California license plate 8D83997.
Bear Mountain snow resort was closed for the day, while Snow Summit planned to remain open. Big Bear Mountain Resorts runs both locations.
"We are in constant contact with federal and local authorities regarding this situation," said Chris Riddle, spokesperson for Big Bear Mountain Resorts. "We felt it was in the best interest of the search to close Bear Mountain for the rest of the day."
Dorner is accused of fatally shooting a newly engaged couple in Irvine on Sunday as part of a revenge plot against law enforcement. One of the victims was the daughter of Randal Quan, LAPD's first Asian-American captain who was mentioned by name in a manifesto apparently written by the disgruntled Dorner.
Dorner also allegedly shot at four police officers early Thursday morning in two separate encounters. One officer was killed and another severely wounded.
