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San Bernardino County sheriff convinced the manhunt for Christopher Jordan Dorner has ended

RIVERSIDE - Efforts continued today to identify charred human remains found in a burned-out mountain cabin where a fired Los Angeles police officer accused of killing a Riverside police officer and three other people was believed to have engaged in a deadly gun battle with law enforcement.

But the San Bernardino County sheriff said he was convinced the manhunt for Christopher Jordan Dorner has ended.

''We believe that this investigation is over at this point, and we'll just need to move on from here,'' Sheriff John McMahon told reporters at the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department headquarters.

Although the remains had not yet been forensically identified as the 33- year-old Dorner, the LAPD lifted the tactical alert that had been in place almost daily during the manhunt. But about a dozen LAPD families threatened in a manifesto allegedly posted online by Dorner last week will continue to receive special protection.

''The LAPD has now moved back into a normal state of police operation,'' LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman, a department spokesman, said at a briefing at LAPD headquarters. ''That began late last night, and will continue now as far as ... normal patrol operations.''

But Neiman said the protective details ''will remain in place until the department and the protectees feel safe.''

Neiman noted that investigations were continuing into whether Dorner had any accomplices. He said it was not yet known if anyone would receive any of the $1 million reward money that had been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Dorner was being hunted in connection with the slayings of two people in Irvine and a Riverside police officer. During Tuesday's firefight in Big Bear, he allegedly fatally shot a San Bernardino County sheriff's detective, identified by McMahon as 35-year-old Jeremiah MacKay, a 15-year department veteran.

MacKay is survived by his wife, a 7-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son, McMahon said.

Another San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy, Alex Collins, was wounded, but ''he's in good spirits and should make a full recovery,'' McMahon said.

Dorner -- the subject of a six-day manhunt -- is believed to have been the man who stole one vehicle and carjacked another on Tuesday, sparking a pursuit that ended with a wild gun battle in the cabin on Seven Oaks Road just off Highway 38.

The cabin eventually caught fire after deputies fired tear gas canisters inside, and burned for several hours.

The inferno that consumed the cabin climaxed a wild day of violence in the normally tranquil mountain community, which had been the focus of the Dorner manhunt since his pickup truck was found burning in the area last Thursday.

At 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies received a report of a man matching Dorner's description stealing a car from a cabin in the 1200 block of Club View Drive in Big Bear. According to reports from the scene, two female housekeepers had gone into the cabin and found someone matching Dorner's description inside. The suspect tied the women up and fled in their vehicle, according to witnesses and sheriff's officials.

The women were not injured. It was unclear how long the suspect may have been hiding in the cabin, which was close to the law enforcement command post that had been established during the manhunt.

Dorner apparently crashed the vehicle a short time later, then carjacked a man's silver pickup truck -- without hurting him, the man said later. The carjacking victim, Rick Heltebrake, told reporters that Dorner was dressed in camouflage gear and carried what looked like a sniper-type rifle when he forced him out of his pickup truck, allowing him to take his dog from the vehicle.

During the pursuit, Dorner was spotted along Highway 38 by state Fish and Wildlife officers who began following the suspect. The suspect opened fire, striking the officers' vehicle, according to Fish and Wildlife Lt. Patrick Foy. The officers, who returned fired at the suspect, were not injured, he said.

The truck wound up crashed down an embankment, and the suspect fled on foot into the Seven Oaks cabin, beginning the lengthy firefight. The two sheriff's deputies who were shot during the battle were flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where MacKay died at 2:24 p.m.

During the standoff, police used a heavily armored vehicle to tear down walls of the cabin, then fired tear gas canisters into the building shortly after 4 p.m. By about 4:20 p.m., the cabin was engulfed in flames. Several reports indicated that a single gunshot was heard emanating from the cabin before it burned down. As the fire raged, the sound of exploding ammunition could be heard from inside.

On Feb. 3, Dorner -- also a former Navy Reserve lieutenant -- allegedly gunned down the daughter and future son-in-law of an ex-police captain who represented him at a hearing that resulted in his dismissal from the LAPD. The bodies of 28-year-old Cal State Fullerton assistant women's basketball coach Monica Quan and her fiance, 27-year-old USC public safety Officer Keith Lawrence, were found in Lawrence's car in the parking structure of their Irvine condominium building.

The next day, Dorner allegedly posted a 6,000-word manifesto on Facebook, vowing to kill named LAPD officers and their families. About 50 Los Angeles police officers and their families were being protected during the manhunt, authorities said.

On Thursday, Dorner was allegedly involved in a shootout with Los Angeles police guarding an officer's home in Corona, leaving one officer with a graze wound to the head, police said. About 20 minutes later, he allegedly fired on a pair of Riverside police officers stopped at a red light, killing Officer Michael Crain, 34, and wounding the other, who was expected to recover.

Crain, an 11-year department veteran and ex-Marine, is survived by his wife, Regina, and two children, Ian, 10, and Kaitlyn, 4. His funeral was held today in Riverside.

The search for Dorner had been focused in the Big Bear area since Thursday afternoon, when his pickup truck -- apparently disabled by a broken axle -- was found burning in a wooded area. LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith, a department spokesman, said investigators were following up on 1,045 tips -- most generated after a $1 million reward for information leading to Dorner's capture and conviction was announced Sunday.

Dorner's body believed to be the one found inside Big Bear cabin after gunfight that took the life of police officer

Riverside - The manhunt for a fired Los Angeles police officer suspected in the slayings of four people was over today after charred human remains were found in the burned-out mountain cabin where he is believed to have been holed up during a gun battle that claimed the life of a San Bernardino sheriff's deputy.

A determination of whether the remains found Tuesday in the cabin on Seven Oaks Road just off Highway 38 near Big Bear are those of 33-year-old Christopher Jordan Dorner -- suspected in the slayings last week of two people in Irvine and a police officer in Riverside -- will be made through forensic examination, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Dorner -- the subject of a six-day manhunt -- is believed to have been the man who stole one vehicle and carjacked another, then shot and killed one San Bernardino sheriff's deputy and wounded another while barricaded in the cabin, which caught fire shortly before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. The fire burned for several hours, delaying the entry of law enforcement personnel.

''We believe that someone was inside and that was the person who stole the vehicle and fled, then abandoned the vehicle, ran into the forest and inside this cabin, where he barricaded himself and was engaged in gunfire with our deputy sheriff, shot two of our deputy sheriffs and one of those deputies died,'' said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman. She said investigators had reason to believe the person holed up in the cabin was Dorner.

No one was seen emerging from the cabin, and by about 6:30 p.m., reports from the scene indicated remains believed to be Dorner's had been found inside, although law enforcement officials did not confirm the discovery.

The inferno that consumed the cabin climaxed a wild day of violence in the normally tranquil mountain community, which had been the focus of the Dorner manhunt since his pickup truck was found burning in the area last Thursday.

At 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies received a report of a man matching Dorner's description stealing a car from a cabin in the 1200 block of Club View Drive in Big Bear. According to reports from the scene, two female housekeepers had gone into the cabin and found someone matching Dorner's description inside. The suspect tied the women up and fled in their vehicle, according to witnesses and sheriff's officials.

The women were not injured. It was unclear how long the suspect may have been hiding in the cabin, which was close to the law enforcement command post that had been established during the manhunt.

The stolen vehicle was spotted a short time later along Highway 38 by a state Fish and Wildlife officer who had been taking part in the hunt, according to the sheriff's department and the state agency. The officer alerted other Fish and Wildlife officers who also followed the vehicle.

The suspect opened fire on them, striking the pursuing officers' vehicle, according to Fish and Wildlife Lt. Patrick Foy. The officers, who returned fired at the suspect, were not injured, he said. Authorities said the suspect then got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

At some point during the pursuit, the suspect carjacked a man's silver pickup truck -- without hurting him, the man later said. The suspect drove off in the truck, but later crashed it down a forest embankment.

The carjacking victim, Rick Heltebrake, told reporters that Dorner was dressed in camouflage gear and carried what looked like a sniper-type rifle when he forced him out of his pickup truck, allowing him to take his dog from the vehicle.

With an army of law enforcement in pursuit, the suspect scampered into the Seven Oaks Road cabin, sparking a gunfight in which hundreds of rounds are reported to have been fired.

During the battle, two San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were shot. Both were airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where one was pronounced dead at 2:24 p.m., according to Bachman. The other deputy underwent surgery and medical personnel are optimistic about his recovery, but it is believed several additional surgeries will be required, she said.

During the standoff, tear gas canisters were fired into the building shortly after 4 p.m. By about 4:20 p.m., the cabin was engulfed in flames. Several reports indicated that a single gunshot was heard emanating from the cabin before it burned down. As the fire raged, the sound of exploding ammunition could be heard from inside.

On Feb. 3, Dorner -- also a former Navy lieutenant -- allegedly gunned down the daughter and future son-in-law of an ex-police captain who represented him at a hearing that resulted in his dismissal from the LAPD. The bodies of 28- year-old Cal State Fullerton assistant women's basketball coach Monica Quan and her fiance, 27-year-old USC public safety Officer Keith Lawrence, were found in Lawrence's car in the parking structure of their Irvine condominium building.

The next day, Dorner allegedly posted a 6,000-word manifesto on Facebook, vowing to kill named LAPD officers and their families. About 50 Los Angeles police officers and their families were being protected during the manhunt, authorities said.

On Thursday, Dorner was allegedly involved in a shootout with Los Angeles police guarding an officer's home in Corona, leaving one officer with a graze wound to the head, police said. About 20 minutes later, he allegedly fired on a pair of Riverside police officers stopped at a red light, killing Officer Michael Crain, 34, and wounding the other, who was expected to recover.

Crain, an 11-year department veteran and ex-Marine, is survived by his wife, Regina, and two children, Ian, 10, and Kaitlyn, 4. His funeral is today in Riverside.

The search for Dorner had been focused in the Big Bear area since Thursday afternoon, when his pickup truck -- apparently disabled by a broken axle -- was found burning in a wooded area. LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith, a department spokesman, said investigators were following up on 1,045 tips -- most generated after a $1 million reward for information leading to Dorner's capture and conviction was announced Sunday.

LAPD: It is unclear whether Dorner died in Big Bear cabin after gunfight; two officers shot--one fatally

Riverside - A six-day manhunt for a fired Los Angeles police officer suspected in the slayings of two people in Irvine and a Riverside police officer came to a head today in Big Bear, where he allegedly stole a car then shot and killed a sheriff's deputy in a raging gun battle while barricaded in a cabin that later burned to the ground.

It was unclear if 33-year-old Christopher Jordan Dorner died in the inferno that engulfed the cabin on Seven Oaks Road just off Highway 38 shortly before 4:30 p.m. The cabin was still burning two hours later.

''Law enforcement officers on scene have not been able to enter the cabin,'' San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said around 8:35 p.m. ''It is too hot. It is still smoldering. It is not safe for them to enter.''

Investigators ''believe there is live ammunition in there,'' Bachman said.

Bachman said she could not say when it would be safe for officers to enter the cabin, which she described as ''a huge crime scene.''

Deputies are expected to be on the scene ''most of the night,'' Bachman said.

Detailed information on the cause of the fire ''and about anything that they find inside'' is not likely to be revealed until Wednesday ''and then I'm not sure exactly how much information will be released,'' Bachman said.

Bachman did not mention Dorner's name in her final briefing of the night.

When asked whether someone was inside the burned cabin, she responded, ''We believe that someone was inside and that was the person who stole the vehicle and fled, then abandoned the vehicle, ran into the forest and inside this cabin where he barricaded himself and was engaged in gunfire with our deputy sheriff, shot two of our deputy sheriffs and one of those deputies died.''

Bachman earlier said investigators had reason to believe the person holed up in the cabin was Dorner. By about 6:30 p.m., multiple media outlets reported that a body believed to be Dorner had been recovered inside the burned- out cabin, although law enforcement officials had not confirmed the discovery.

''Any reports of a body being found are not true,'' LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith said around 8 p.m. ''Any reports of that body being identified as Christopher Dorner are not true.''

The fiery scene culminated a wild day of violence in the normally tranquil mountain community, which has been the focus of the Dorner manhunt since his pickup truck was found burning in the area last Thursday.

But at 12:20 p.m., San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies received a report of a man matching Dorner's description stealing a car from a cabin in the 1200 block of Club View Drive in Big Bear. According to various reports from the scene, two female housekeepers had gone into the cabin and found someone matching Dorner's description inside. The suspect tied the women up and fled in their vehicle, according to witnesses and sheriff's officials.

The women were not injured. It was unclear how long the suspect may have been hiding in the cabin, which was ironically located close to the law enforcement command post that had been established during the Dorner manhunt.

The stolen vehicle was spotted a short time later along Highway 38 by a state Fish and Wildlife officer who had been taking part in the hunt, according to the sheriff's department and the state agency. The officer followed the vehicle and the suspect opened fire, striking the pursuing officer's vehicle, according to Fish and Wildlife. The officer was not injured.

Authorities said the suspect got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. A witness told KCAL9 the suspect later emerged from the woods and carjacked a man driving a silver pickup truck. The suspect drove off in the truck, but later crashed it down a forest embankment.

With an army of law enforcement in pursuit, the suspect scampered into the Seven Oaks Road cabin, sparking a gunfight that -- according to some reports from the scene -- involved the firing of hundreds of rounds.

During the battle, two San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were shot. Both were airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where one was pronounced dead at 2:24 p.m., according to Bachman.

The other deputy has undergone surgery and medical personnel are optimistic about his recovery, but it is believed several additional surgeries will be required, Bachman said.

Meanwhile, the standoff at the cabin continued, but shortly after 4 p.m., tear gas canisters were fired into the building.

By about 4:20 p.m., the cabin was engulfed in flames. Some reports indicated that a single gunshot was heard emanating from the cabin. KCAL9, which had a reporter close to the cabin during the firefight, reported that the sound of exploding ammunition could be heard inside the cabin as the fire raged.

On Feb. 3, Dorner -- also a former Navy lieutenant -- allegedly gunned down the daughter and future son-in-law of an ex-police captain who represented him at a hearing that resulted in his dismissal from the LAPD. The bodies of 28- year-old Cal State Fullerton assistant women's basketball coach Monica Quan and her fiance, 27-year-old USC public safety officer Keith Lawrence, were found in Lawrence's car in the parking structure of their Irvine condominium building.

The next day, Dorner, 33, allegedly posted a 6,000-word manifesto on Facebook, vowing to kill named LAPD officers and their families. About 50 Los Angeles police officers and their families were being protected during the manhunt, authorities said.

On Thursday, Dorner was allegedly involved in a shootout with Los Angeles police guarding an officer's home in Corona, leaving one officer with a graze wound to the head, police said. About 20 minutes later, he allegedly fired on a pair of Riverside police officers stopped at a red light, killing Officer Michael Crain, 34, and wounding the other. The wounded officer was expected to recover.

Crain, an 11-year department veteran, was a former Marine. He is survived by his wife, Regina, and two children, Ian, 10, and Kaitlyn, 4. Crain left ''an unforgettable impression'' on everyone he met, Riverside police Lt. Guy Toussaint said. His funeral is set for Wednesday.

The search for Dorner has been focused in the Big Bear area since Thursday afternoon, when his pickup truck -- apparently disabled by a broken axle -- was found burning in a wooded area.

During an afternoon briefing today in downtown Los Angeles, LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith said investigators were following up on 1,045 tips received by the department -- most generated after a $1 million reward for information leading to Dorner's capture and conviction was announced Sunday.

 

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