Christopher Dorner manhunt: See a timeline of key events
Dorner is supected of shooting two officers in Riverside, killing one and injuring the other, who underwent surgery and was reported to be in stable condition early Thursday, according to Riverside Police. Dorner is also suspected of shooting and wounding a LAPD officer in Corona.
According to the LAPD, Dorner is likely also responsible for killing a couple in Irvine.
Authorities say Dorner wrote a multi-page manifesto in which he threatened to kill law enforcement officials and implicated himself in the Irvine slayings.
Suspect truck found burned in Big Bear
In a 3:30 p.m. news conference in the Big Bear area, San Bernardino County Assistant Sheriff John McMahon confirmed a burning pickup truck discovered earlier in the day is Dorner's Nissan Titan. It was confirmed by its vehicle identification number. The truck was unoccupied. Authorities said Dorner likely changed the Nissan's license plate following the Inland Empire shootings and before abandoning the truck.
McMahon said authorities were searching the wooded area around where the truck was found, as well as going door to door to check on occupied and unoccupied residences and structures. There are about 400 residences in the area.
McMahon said law enforcement personnel from Los Angeles and Riverside as well as the FBI were assisting the search. He said at least 15 to 20 additional officers would be patrolling the community around the clock until further notice. Roadway checkpoints were also set up in the area. Civilian aircraft were forbidden from flying in the area during the search.
At a 5:30 p.m. news conference, McMahon told reporters that tracks were found near the vehicle and were followed, but they did not lead to the suspect. He said snow on the ground was helpful in the search, and that dogs being used in the search were not affected by the weather and ground conditions.
McMahon said about 125 law enforcement officers were involved in the search, including tracking in the woods and going door to door in the community. He said the search would continue "as long as we can, weather permitting."
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is the lead during this part of investigation, McMahon said.
All schools and facilities in the Big Bear Valley Unified School District were locked down due to the police activity surrounding the vehicle. Assistant Superintendent Walter Con said officials do not fear any immediate danger, but the schools were locked down as a precaution. Bear Mountain Resort was closed down for the rest of the day as a precaution by request of authorities.
In a 9 p.m. news conference, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said schools were expected to reopen Friday morning. The ski resort was also expected to reopen Friday morning.
Bachman said there were no reports of any sightings of the suspect. No stolen vehicles were reported in the area.
Bachman advised local residents not to answer their door unless they know they visitor, or if the visitor is a uniformed law enforcement official.
Bachman said the search would continue into the night, though it was possible that snow could hamper the search. Dogs and helicopters with infrared cameras were part of the search.
Ex-LAPD Officer Chris Dorner manifesto: Read it now
Corona shooting
Earlier Thursday, two LAPD officers were in Corona to check on one of the individuals named in Dorner's manifesto when they came across a pickup truck that looked similar to Dorner's. The officers ran the license plate and found that it did not match the vehicle.
They started to follow the truck when the gunman opened fire with a shoulder-weapon, like a rifle, officials said. One officer was grazed in the forehead but was expected to be OK. The officers were in a marked police vehicle and in uniform. The incident took place near the Magnolia Avenue off-ramp of the northbound I-15.
Riverside shooting
Riverside investigators also point to Dorner as their suspect. Police say about 20 minutes after the Corona incident, two Riverside officers were on routine patrol when they stopped at a red light at Magnolia and Arlington avenues around 1:35 a.m. They were ambushed by a gunman in a gray pickup truck.
A 34-year-old training officer, an 11-year veteran of the force, was killed. The wounded 27-year-old officer is expected to make a full recovery. The names of these officers were not immediately released as a safety precaution to protect their families, said Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz at a late-morning news conference.
Over 100 people gathered at Riverside City Hall on Thursday night for a prayer vigil for the fallen Riverside police officer.Statewide manhunt
Dorner's whereabouts are unknown, but Thursday morning, investigators expanded their search to the Las Vegas area, where Dorner has a home about 9 miles southwest of the Strip. Nevada Highway Patrol troopers are watching for Dorner and his vehicle on roads leading to the Las Vegas area from Southern California.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Dorner is believed to have tried to steal a boat from San Diego boat owner Wednesday night. He apparently botched the theft and headed to Riverside, where he is believed to have carried out the officer shootings.
The suspect is considered armed and extremely dangerous. A blue alert has been activated in the following counties: Kern, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial.
Dorner, 33, is described as an African-American man standing 6 feet tall, weighing 270 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. If seen, call 911.
Dorner named suspect in Irvine double-murder
Keith Lawrence, 27, and his fiancée Monica Quan, 28, were found fatally shot in a car in the parking lot of their apartment complex in Irvine Sunday night. Irvine Police identified the suspect as Dorner, a former LAPD officer and Navy reservist.
Authorities said Dorner appears to have murdered Quan in an act of revenge against her father, Randy Quan, a former LAPD officer who retired and became an attorney.
Court documents obtained by Eyewitness News show that in August 2007, Dorner made a complaint against his field training officer, accusing her of kicking a suspect. However, the LAPD Board of Rights found Dorner's complaint to be false and terminated his employment for making a false statement. The attorney representing Dorner was Randy Quan.
Dorner threatens LAPD officers in manifesto
In a manifesto obtained by Eyewitness News, Dorner says he has other targets, including commanding officers within the LAPD. In response, the LAPD deployed its elite Metropolitan Division officers to protect certain personnel and their families.
Ex-LAPD Officer Chris Dorner manifesto: Read it now
"I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty," the manifesto says.
"You may have the resources and manpower but you are reactive and predictable ... I have the strength and benefits of being unpredictable, unconventional, and unforgiving," it goes on to say. Dorner also threatens to kill any officer who attempts to arrest him.
Dorner also provides a glimpse into why he may have acted out: "I've lost a relationship with my mother and sister because of the LAPD. I've lost a relationship with close friends because of the LAPD. In essence, I've lost everything because the LAPD took my name and new [sic] I was INNOCENT!!!"
In a statement, the LAPD said, "The Department has learned that Christopher Dorner has made threats against members of the LAPD and we are taking those threats very seriously as we do all threats against our personnel and the public."
Police sent personnel to protect at least 40 families related to officers specifically named in Dorner's manifesto.
For their safety, motorcycle officers are not being deployed and patrols will be done in two-officer units.
The LAPD confirmed that Dorner worked as one of its police officers from February 2002 to September 2008 and that his employment was terminated.
A Norwalk school mentioned in Dorner's manifesto is closing its doors for the rest of the week. Dorner said he was racially bullied and abused there as a kid.
Christopher Dorner manhunt: See a timeline of key eventsMistaken identity shooting in Torrance
Los Angeles Police said two uninvolved civilians were shot and wounded when officers mistook their car as Dorner's vehicle in Torrance at about 5:15 a.m. Thursday. Chief Beck said officers got word of a car similar to Dorner's traveling on Redbeam Avenue, which is an area on heightened patrol due to Dorner's manifesto and the Inland Empire police officer shootings.
A bullet-riddled blue pickup truck with newspapers on the ground on the passenger's side of the truck was parked at the scene. Beck said one injured civilian suffered a minor bullet wound, and the second civilian was shot twice and reported in stable condition. The individuals are two women who were reportedly delivering newspapers.
About two blocks away, authorities were also investigating another incident in which a black Honda pickup truck appeared to have been involved in a crash with a Torrance police vehicle. There appeared to be three bullet holes in the windshield. It was unclear if or how that was related to the Dorner case.
Anyone with information on Dorner's whereabouts or further details about the case is asked to contact Irvine Police at (949) 724-7000 or Los Angeles Police at (877) LAPD-24-7. If you see Dorner, you are urged to call 911 immediately.
