A massive manhunt is underway for a double murder suspect who is a former police officer, after three officers were shot overnight, one fatally.
The suspect is believed to be Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33, a former LAPD officer and Navy reservist, known to be a skilled sniper. Officials warned that he is armed and dangerous.
Dorner is believed to be driving a blue or gray Nissan Titan pickup, California license plate 8D83987 or 7X09131. He may have changed the plates.
San Diego police have confirmed that a wallet containing a badge and ID of Dorner was found near Lindbergh Field.
A blue alert for the suspect has been issued for Kern, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties.
It all began early Thursday in Corona, where witnesses spotted the suspect at an AMPM and alerted authorities.
Two LAPD officers were in the area en route to the home of an individual mentioned in an online manifesto posted by the suspect threatening police.
They began following the suspect’s vehicle on the 15 Freeway. The suspect exited at Magnolia and headed eastbound.
That’s where the suspect got out of the truck and opened fire with a shoulder-type weapon (like a rifle), police said.
The officers took cover and returned fire. One officer suffered a graze wound and was treated at the scene. The other officer was not injured.
The suspect then got back into the pickup truck and continued eastbound on Magnolia.
Shortly after, around 1:30 a.m., two Riverside police officers were shot while on routine patrol in a marked unit near Magnolia and Arlington, police said.
The officers were stopped at a red light when they were ambushed. They were not actively searching for Dorner, according to Riverside police Lt. Guy Toussaint.
The officers were taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where one was pronounced dead. The other was undergoing surgery and was said to be in critical condition.
A command post has been set up at Arlington and Brockton. Riverside police do not believe that the Dorner is still in the immediate area, according to Toussaint.
School has been canceled for Thursday at Notre Dame High School. Toussaint said it would be up to individual schools to decide how to proceed.
Back in Corona, a command post has been set up on the Magnolia overpass to the 15 Freeway. Schools in the area have been alerted, police said, but classes were continuing as normal.
Dorner is wanted for allegedly killing Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach Monica Quan, the daughter of a former LAPD officer, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence.
The couple was found shot to death in the parking lot of their upscale apartment complex in Irvine on Sunday night.
Authorities say that Dorner wrote an online manifesto threatening to harm police officials and their families.
Law enforcement sources said police have placed security at the homes of L.A. police officials named in the manifesto and believe Dorner has numerous weapons.
In the online postings, Dorner specifically named retired L.A. police captain Randy Quan, the father of Monica Quan.
Randy Quan apparently served as Dorner’s representative in the process that ultimately led to Dorner’s dismissal.
Dorner was fired in 2008 for allegedly making false statements about his field training officer, who he accused of kicking a suspect.
Dorner said in his online postings that being a police officer had been his life’s ambition since he served in the police Explorer program.
He said it was the LAPD’s fault that he lost his law enforcement and Navy careers, as well as his relationships with family and close friends.
Dorner claimed he suffered from severe depression and was filled with rage at the people who forced him from his job.
He said he didn’t mind dying, because he had already died when he was fired form the LAPD.
Dorner’s last known address is in La Palma. He is described as a 6-foot-tall African American who weighs about 270 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call a tip line at (714) 724-7192. If you see Dorner, you should call 911 immediately.
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