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Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck gives a briefing on the case of Christopher Dorner, the fired LAPD officer wanted for three revenge slayings, on Feb. 7, 2013. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The manhunt for former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer Christopher Dorner, accused of shooting and killing two people and a police officer, has generated more than one thousand tips, but the fugitive ex-officer has still been able to evade capture.
Dorner may have even left California and entered Mexico, as a video surfaced recently on the website TMZ (Thirty Mile Zone) that apparently shows the 33-year-old purchasing scuba equipment in Torrance, Calif. A source told the Los Angeles Times that the man in the video is Dorner, and that he spent between $5 and $10 filling up a scuba tank, although the LAPD has said it has not made that determination.
A $1-million reward has been offered for any information leading to Dorner’s capture. Dorner is accused of shooting and killing a couple on Feb. 3 in Irvine, before shooting three police officers in Riverside, leaving one of the officers dead. On Feb. 6, Dorner posted a violent manifesto to his Facebook account that included threats against LAPD officers and their families.
A recently released complaint from U.S. Marshals Service Inspector Craig McClusky dated Feb. 7 states that Dorner may have already fled to Mexico.
A boat captain in San Diego told investigators that a man matching Dorner’s description “had subdued him and attempted to steal his boat, stating that he (Dorner) would be taking the boat to Mexico,” reads the complaint, which was obtained by NBC News. The ship captain said that Dorner fled after the bowline of the vessel got caught in the propeller.
“There is probable cause to believe that Dorner has moved and traveled in interstate and foreign commerce from California to Mexico with the intent to avoid prosecution,” it adds.
Officers have searched all over California looking for Dorner, including near Tijuana, San Diego County, and Big Bear, the Times reported. There have also been alerts issued in Nevada, and border officials have been alerted as well.
The search in Big Bear in Southern California began after Dorner’s burned-out truck was found near there.
“The search for Christopher Dorner will continue until he has been apprehended or it has been determined that he is no longer on the mountain,” San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon told the Times Tuesday. Officials also notified local residents to check their home security cameras to review video footage recorded after midnight on Feb. 7.
LAPD spokesman Lt. Andy Neiman described the fruitless search efforts as “frustrating,” but added that police “are hoping that something will break loose from the public,” reported CNN.
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