Authorities are conducting door-to-door searches in their manhunt for a former Los Angeles police officer suspected in a spate of shootings, hours after they found his burned-out truck in the woods of a mountainous area east of Los Angeles.
Christopher Dorner, a fired LAPD cop accused of a revenge plot against law enforcement and their families, is wanted in connection with the ambush-style slaying Thursday morning of a Riverside officer and another shooting involving LAPD officers in Riverside County, according to police.
His charred vehicle was found in the woods in the mountainous Big Bear Lake ski area east of Los Angeles, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon confirmed at Thursday afternoon.
"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."
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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 checking vehicles coming down and going up, he 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."
Earlier Thursday, three officers were shot — two in Riverside, one in Corona. All of the shootings are likely connected to Dorner, a fired LAPD cop wanted in connection with a double slaying last weekend in nearby Irvine. The homicide involved a former LAPD officer's daughter and her fiancé.
During a Thursday news conference, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck characterized the rampage as a "vendetta against all of Southern California law enforcement." He said Dorner was believed to have multiple weapons, including an assault rifle.
Dorner was identified as a suspect Wednesday in the slayings of Monica Quan, 28, and her fiancé, Keith Lawrence, 27, who were fatally shot Sunday while sitting in their car on the top level of a parking structure, according to Irvine police. The couple left a Super Bowl party at about 7 p.m. and were found slumped over in their car about 9 p.m.
Quan's father was the first Asian-American to become an LAPD captain and also worked on the Asian Gang Task Force. He is now retired. In Dorner's online manifesto, he repeatedly refers to a Randy Quan as being involved in his 2008 firing.
"The attacks will stop when the department states the truth about my innocence," Dorner states in the manifesto. Every officer mentioned in the document was provided with police protection, said LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez.
Dorner's identification as the suspect in the Irvine slayings prompted a statewide "Blue Alert" — an alert system involving criminals who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers. Dorner's vehicle was described as a gray Nissan Titan with California license plate 8D83997. The license plate number was displayed on freeway signs Thursday morning in Southern California.
The search led to Riverside County early Thursday after two LAPD officers — part of a security detail assigned to one of the families mentioned in the Dorner manifesto — encountered Dorner in Riverside, Lopez said. The LAPD officers were flagged down by someone who recognized Dorner's vehicle at Magnolia Avenue near the 15 Freeway.
The gunman exited the vehicle and opened fire on officers with a "shoulder-type" weapon, said Lopez. One of the officers was shot, suffering what was described as a "minor" graze wound.
"It's extremely intense," Lopez said. "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.
"In my 22 years, it’s unusual that this many officers have been targeted."
About 20 minutes later, two Riverside officers responded to Magnolia and Arlington avenues after receiving a call for assistance. Both Riverside officers were shot and transported to a hospital, where one was pronounced dead.
The second officer remained in surgery late Thursday morning, but authorities said the officer is in stable condition.
"By all accounts, it appears they were stopped at a red light and just ambushed by the suspect," said Riverside Lt. Guy Toussaint. "The suspect did flee the scene, and we're in the process of trying to identify and apprehend the suspect at this time."
The LAPD confirmed officers are looking for Dorner in connection with both shootings. Officers said it's a "safe bet" he is armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
"We're hoping to wake up and find out this is a bad dream," said Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz. "He has made it clear he considers police officers and their families fair game."
Meanwhile, police on protection detail guarding another person listed on Dorner's manifesto shot and wounded two people in a vehicle in Torrance that matched the description of Dorner's vehicle.
The individuals suffered minor injuries and were being treated for their wounds.
"Tragically, we believe it may be a case of mistaken identity on the part of the officers," Beck said during a press conference on Thursday morning.
Dorner also is believed to be connected to an attempted boat theft in the San Diego area. San Diego police were called to the Southwestern Yacht Club for an apparent boatjacking around 10:26 p.m. Wednesday.
The 81-year-old boat owner was on his 42-foot sundeck cruiser when a "heavy-set man in his 30s dressed in black clothing" robbed him, tied him up and pulled the boat out of the slip officials said. The man could not start the boat so he took some items from the vessel and left according to police.
Authorities asked for the public's help in finding Dorner, whose last known address is 4931 Sharon Dr. in La Palma. Dorner is described as 6 feet tall, about 270 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Also early Thursday, the San Diego Harbor Police Department confirmed a badge with Dorner's picture identification was found at about 2:27 a.m. in the center divider on Harbor Drive, near San Diego International Airport.
Irvine Police Chief David Maggard said Wednesday evening that Dorner implicated himself in a "multi-page manifesto" that was published online but has since been taken down. A source inside LAPD gave NBC4 Los Angeles the manifesto, which is about 11,300 words long and appears to lay out a plan for targeting those involved in his firing.
In the manifesto — addressed to "America" and titled "Last Resort" — Dorner writes that the "horrendous murders" are "a necessary evil."
"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."