The winter resort Big Bear 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles turned into a virtual "ghost town" Thursday as police hunted for an ex-cop who allegedly vowed to take down the LAPD, The LA Times reported early Friday.
Police believe former cop Christopher Dorner was on foot in Big Bear after police identified his burned-out pick-up truck in the area, KTLA 5 reported Thursday.
Dorner, who was reportedly fired from the department several years ago, is suspected of killing the daughter of an LAPD captain and her fiancé before shooting three LAPD officers, one of whom died.
Area residents were barricading their doors by nightfall on Thursday, according to the LA Times.
"We're all just stressed," resident Andrea Burtons told the Times.
He's a former member of the military with "sniper training," and police say he's armed and dangerous, KTLA 5 reported.
In their pursuit of Dorner, police mistakenly shot two innocent women delivering newspapers in Torrance, Calif. early Thursday morning, CBS Los Angeles reported.
A patrol officer was sent to protect the home of a high-ranking officer and says he thought their Toyota Tacoma was Dorner's Nissan pick-up truck, according to CBS.
Later on Thursday, SWAT officers were combing through rough terrain in the Big Bear area, and ski slopes had been closed by the afternoon, KTLA 5 reported.
Schools in the Big Bear area were also on lockdown.
Here's a photo from the manhunt:
Police in the area were also beefing up security in case Dorner attacks, taking all motorcycle patrols off duty, according to KTLA 5.
Dorner is suspected of shooting two Riverside Police Department officers around 1:30 a.m. PST Thursday while they were stopped at a red light, KTLA 5 reported Thursday morning.
One of the Riverside officers was killed and the other is in critical condition and undergoing surgery, according to KTLA 5.
Prior to the Riverside shooting, an LAPD officer was also shot.
Police said Dorner unsuccessfully tried to steal a boat Wednesday night so he could escape to Mexico, the LA Times reported this morning.
An 81-year-old boat owner said a "burly man" tied him up so he could take his boat but was unable to flee in it because a rope got tangled in a propeller, according to the Times.
Before the alleged rampage, Dorner reportedly made it clear he wanted to bring down as many cops as he could.
In an online manifesto, Dorner, who was upset about what he saw as an unjustified firing, called the shooting his "last resort," according to The Los Angeles Times' L.A. Now blog.
"This is my last resort. The LAPD has suppressed the truth and it has now led to deadly consequences," he wrote online. "The violence of action will be high. ... I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty."
Dorner is a former Navy reservist, according to the Times.
Dorner, whose last day in the Navy was Feb. 1, worked with river warfare units and a mobile inshore undersea warfare unit, CNN reported.
His navy records show he was a pistol expert and rifle marksman, according to CNN.
Dorner is also suspected of killing Monica Quan, a Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach, and her fiance Keith Lawrence, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Here's a photo of Quan and Lawrence:
Dorner was fired from the department in 2009 for allegedly making false statements about his training officer, according to the Times.
Quan's father is a retired LAPD captain who reportedly was involved in Dorner's firing. Dorner specifically mentioned Quan's father in Facebook postings, according to the Times.
"I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, I'm terminating yours," Dorner said in online postings, according to L.A. Now.
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