Relatives say the two women were mother and daughter and they were housekeepers working on a cabin when they were encountered by the suspect. The women were tied up and had their car stolen. One was able to get away and make a call.
Authorities say deputies working the Big Bear area in their search for Dorner responded to the 1200 block of Club View Drive at about 12:20 p.m. for a reported stolen vehicle by a man matching Dorner's description.
Chris Dorner manhunt: See a timeline of key events
Deputies immediately began a search of the area. They shut down every mountain road leading to Big Bear. Every car coming down the mountain was searched by armed officers. Traffic was backed up for hours.
Local business owner Jay Hylton said he was contacted by people close to where the car theft took place.
"I just got a text ... that the guy that has been on the loose that the cops were after, had been staying in the area where they run a resort, and he had tied them in, broke in and tied them up, and then stole the car," said Hylton.
Hylton said he was told the car was a maroon, newer model Nissan.
"As far as we know, they're fine, and he didn't hurt them or anything like that, he just stole the car. He wanted the car," said Hylton. "I don't know the specifics. All I know is that he absolutely did not hurt them. He tied them up and just wanted the car."
Police say the women did not require medical attention and were not hospitalized.
The California Fish and Wildlife Department was assisting law enforcement in searching for Dorner in the Angeles Oaks area when they spotted the suspect's vehicle. According to officials, when the suspect realized he had been recognized, he began shooting at the wardens.
Only one warden discharged his firearm, officials said. No wardens were injured. It's unknown if the suspect was struck.
The suspect then fled into the forest on foot and barricaded himself inside a cabin. There was another exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspect, killing one San Bernardino sheriff's deputies and wounding another.Ex-LAPD Officer Chris Dorner manifesto: Read it now
The area is in the Big Bear region where a search for Dorner has been under way since his pickup truck was found there Thursday. He is accused of killing a Riverside police officer and a couple in Irvine.
