Home » Santa Clarita News » Christopher Dorner Found Dead In Big Bear Cabin After Standoff

Christopher Dorner Found Dead In Big Bear Cabin After Standoff

Update 7:45 PM

A charred body identified by a sources as the corpse of former LAPD cop Christopher Dorner was found Tuesday night in the torched mountainside cabin where he had barricaded himself after killing one sheriff’s deputy and wounding a second in a gun battle.

The sources, from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office, told NBC News the LAPD had confirmed to the mayor that the body found in the cabin is Dorner’s.

Black smoke and flames were seen coming from the rustic rental in the late afternoon, but it was unknown how the raging fire started.

Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Telemundo “it’s over,” but declined to elaborate when asked follow questions. A press conference was scheduled to take place later this evening.

The shootout and standoff began after police received a report around 12:22 p.m. local time that someone fitting Dorner’s description had stolen a car from a home near the ski resort area of Big Bear, police said.

The man told NBCLosAngeles.com that a man who looked like Dorner came up to him with a rifle and demanded his pickup, and let him take his dogs out of the back before he fled.

A ground and air search ensued, and authorities located the pickup on Highway 38.

A spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game said one of its wardens was the “very first person to spot Mr. Dorner …

They both got out of the vehicles and exchanged gunfire.”

Update: 3:55 PM

One of the two officers that were wounded in an earlier gun fight has died of their injuries. Suspect has barricaded themself in a cabin.

Update: 1:40 PM

Gunfire has been exchanged with Dorner, after he was pulled over. Two officers have been shot in gun battle, injuries unknown, Dorner has fled on foot.

Update:  1:30pm

Report of at least one officer down.

Stay tuned for more details as they are released.

At 12:20 p.m. there were reports of shots fired on Club View Drive in Big Bear. There are closures on all mountain highways in the area.

Authorities responded to a report of a possible reckless driver and shots fired, amid police activity involving the search for a former LAPD officer wanted for three shooting deaths.

Authorities did not confirm the vehicle involved in the reckless driver report belonged to 33-year-old Christopher Dorner. The police activity was reported in the 2000 block of Club View Drive, near the base of Bear Mountain ski resort.

There are also preliminary reports of a family having a vehicle stolen from their home.

Sources told NBC4 that authorities also responded to a report of a couple held hostage in a cabin. The attacker stole the couple’s vehicles, the source told NBC4.

Highway 38 is closed in the Big Bear area.

LAPD officials said they have received no information regarding activity in Big Bear. 


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, Or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com


The search has focused on the San Bernardino Mountain resort community of Big Bear since Thursday, when Dorner’s burned-out pickup was discovered south of Big Bear Lake. About 30 law enforcement personnel remained in Big Bear Tuesday morning.

At a Tuesday news conference, LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman was asked about the tips and reports that Dorner might have fled to Mexico. There have been no confirmed sightings of Dorner since the shootings Thursday in Riverside County, he said.

“Early on, we had information that (Dorner) had attempted to abscond with a boat in the San Diego area,” Neiman said. “Indications were that he was possibly going down to Mexico. Based on that information, our investigators were preparing to follow up.”

An affidavit filed Feb. 7 in federal court by the U.S. Marshal Service was “in preparation to assist” in that investigation.

“That in no way indicates Dorner was or was not in Mexico,” Neiman said.

Neiman also addressed surveillance video that TMZ obtained from a Sports Chalet store. The video shows a man purchasing scuba gear, but authorities have not confirmed that the individual in the video is Dorner, Neiman said. 

Christopher Dorner Found Dead In Big Bear Cabin After Standoff

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.