LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Is triple murder suspect Christopher Dorner hiding in Mexico? And does he have an accomplice who helped him make his escape?
Police said at a news conference on Tuesday morning that they are now investigating over 1,000 clues, and the investigation is going in many directions.
They’ve seen about a 400 percent increase in tips since the $1 million reward was announced, Lt. Andy Neiman said.
“It is frustrating and we’re hopeful that something will break loose from the public and that these investigative leads will result in something positive in terms of bringing this to a conclusion,” he added.
The search for Dorner, a former LAPD officer and Navy Reserve lieutenant, is now in its sixth day.
One theory about where Dorner could be is that he may have fled to Mexico.
That comes from an affidavit filed by an inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service in federal court in Los Angeles late last week.
It says that Dorner might be south of the border because he allegedly tried to steal a boat in San Diego, subduing the captain, and said he was going to Mexico.
“The attempt failed when the bow line of the boat became caught in the boat’s propeller, and the suspect fled,” according to the affidavit by U.S. Marshals Inspector Craig McClusky.
After authorities interviewed the boat captain early Thursday, they found Dorner’s wallet and ID near the San Ysidro border crossing, according to the court records.
All that was before police say Dorner shot and killed a Riverside police officer and wounded two other officers.
That same day, a guard at the Point Loma Naval Base told authorities he had spotted a man matching Dorner’s description trying sneak onto the base, the records said.
Authorities have stressed that the court papers reflected their thinking at the time, but said that Dorner could be anywhere.
Authorities in Mexico reportedly raided a motel in Tijuana after somebody there saw someone matching Dorner’s description.
That turned out to be yet another dead end. Authorities said there was no evidence that Dorner had ever been there.
The affidavit by McClusky also says that Dorner could be getting help from “a known associate” with the initials “J.Y.”
McClusky wrote that J.Y.’s family owns property in the Big Bear area near where Dorner’s truck was found.
The criminal complaint does not detail the exact relationship between J.Y. and Dorner, a former LAPD officer and Navy Reserve lieutenant.
But J.Y. could be Jason Young, a person Dorner wrote about in his manifesto, describing him as a great friend, entrepreneur and father.
As part of the surveillance operation of J.Y., authorities were watching his family property last Thursday, the court records show.
Hundreds of officers scoured the area near Big Bear, conducting door-to-door cabin checks for any sign of Dorner.
A scaled-down search continues in the woods west of Big Bear Lake, where about 30 officers are searching vacation homes and cabins in an even more remote area.
Neiman said that the search will keep going until all investigative leads have been exhausted.
Authorities are also asking people in the Big Bear area to review any surveillance video from last Thursday (Feb. 7) through today for signs of Dorner.
Meantime, surveillance video obtained by TMZ shows a man that looks like Dorner buying scuba equipment at a Sport Chalet in Torrance back on Feb. 1.
That was just two days before the daughter of a former LAPD captain and her fiance were found shot to death in Irvine.
Dorner studied underwater warfare in the Navy, so that gear might have been useful if he had managed to use a boat to escape to Mexico.
Neiman said on Tuesday that investigators are reviewing that tape, but they have not made any determination about whether it is Dorner.
He also said that investigators are following up on the possibility that Dorner may have stayed at the Hi View Inn & Suites in Manhattan Beach.
Prosecutors in Riverside County have charged Dorner with murder and attempted murder in the killing of one officer and the wounding of two others.
The charge includes a special circumstance that could make Dorner eligible for the death penalty, if convicted.
As the search for Dorner continues, 50 LAPD personnel and their families remain under protective details, which will be in place until the situation is resolved.
Also, he Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday is expected to discuss dropping another $100,000 into the reward fund, making it a total of $1.1 million.
On Wednesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting to discuss adding yet another $100,000 to the fund.
108 Comments to “Dorner Search Focuses on Mexico, Surveillance Video”
February 12, 2013 at 11:17 AM
90% of cops are arrogant egotists only interested in the perks of the badge like DUI and speeding breaking the law with "no consequences who dont care about what happens to the average citizen and take there good old time responding to any call except for other members of the force and their "families" hence the 50 officers receiving special guard while the rest of the city and public who make calls go ignored. And if the cops were doing such a "great" job you wouldnt have to worry about your car being stolen and your purse being taken or dozens of young women and men being killed gunned down each year in LA by "domestic terrorism" better known as gang shootings and violence. I dont see the city coming up with $1 million to end that! And these so called great high ranking officers and heros instead of hiding in their houses under LAPD guard should be leading their officers and standing out front doing the job their "paid well" to do "protect people". Not putting lower ranking officers out their to take their bullets!
February 12, 2013 at 11:17 AM
URGENT This is the KTLA Admin Credit Risk Department. Please do not open or click on any links that are from screen name: jasim, faztyu, sUEz and susan994. They may and could contain a virus, spyware and malware. We are doing our best to delete them from our network. Thank you.
February 12, 2013 at 11:23 AM
PS no one hate the "cops" as you put it we're just sick of "dirty cops" in command that make all cops look bad!
February 12, 2013 at 11:37 AM
Better yet we're sick of "dirty government" all the way around. People want to see the LA and its officers we all once knew and a government filled with people who are well respected because they " earn" respect not because they're corrupt and have to "buy it" for $1 million dollars!
February 12, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Unfortunately this situation and the Million dollar reward just drive home Dorner's point. All lower ranking officers and the public are "expendable" to protect 50 of LAPD's most corrupt law enforcement. And if you watched the taped tesitmony Fox aired of the victim of abuse involved with Dorner's case you see LAPD is corrupt and not telling the truth about what led Dorner to this whole terrible situation. Killing is never right and no the answer, but unfortunately in this situation it's as the saying goes crimes of the fathers fall on their childrens heads.
February 12, 2013 at 12:45 PM
This is yet another prime example how the LAPD and most all police agencies here and worldwide have failed us, Dorner should of never gotten past the psycho-logical tests from the get go. Just like him, there are many, they are ticking time bombs waiting to go off. It is a horrible job at best in the feel good dept, chimed with the gambit of the dregs of society from the common criminal to the sublime. Not a happy place fo sho. That aside, they need to tighten their screws and not allow screwballs and idiots like Dorner into a place of authority. There is far too much abuse on the general public from rogue cops overall, funny thing is that the depts know they have loose cannons in their ranks and they do not do anything about it. They foster a wait and see attitude so as not to alarm the general public. But just like you and I sitting at our cube at work looking over to the weird neighbor and wonder when that person will go 'postal' or 'LAPD' on yo behind; has come to fruition in the LAPD today. This is not the last of this kind of incident. As long as there are psycho's in the ranks, the world or LA is not a better place! period
February 12, 2013 at 12:50 PM
Going after LAPD officers' friends and families is wrong. But it's just as disturbing that there's no real investigations (by sources other than LAPD, come on, that's ridiculous) on LAPD corruptions and brutality.
Instead, LAPD and other agencies are spending their resources on murdering the guy (eg. 21 bullets on a single pick carrying 2 women, deploying drone against U.S. civilian, on U.S. soil…etc), and focusing its media attention on portraying Dorner as a psychopathic and irrational terrorist. It's no wonder why Dorner's "supporters" would prefer being anonymous.
February 12, 2013 at 12:52 PM
Prison Break 2..
February 12, 2013 at 12:53 PM
1. Where is lapd getting a million from 2. He's probaly in la somewhere under their noses and 3. When children, men,women are killed where is the reward for tips for their arrest?
February 12, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Sick bunch here. Very telling, indeed.
February 12, 2013 at 1:20 PM
im just going to leave this here for you guys so you can read and decide for yourselfs who's right and who's worng
February 12, 2013 at 1:20 PM
http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/02/07…
February 12, 2013 at 1:53 PM
it's spam though
February 12, 2013 at 2:03 PM
um, no its not, and you are not me
February 12, 2013 at 5:13 PM
What everyone seems to forget is LAPD very long history of racism, sexism, corruption, coverups and retaliation. Did you all forget of the recent firings and investigation of the officers who slammed and pepper sprayed a handcuffed arrestee, officers lying about finding drugs on a suspect during a pursuit. His allegations are valid and have forced LAPD to reopen his case now that someone leaked it to the media. So what happens when LAPD is found at guilty for wrongful termination and retaliation? Will they be the blame for all of this bloodshed that could have been avoided had someone came off of their power trip?
February 12, 2013 at 7:07 PM
REALLY LAPD?! I WONDER WHERE THESE RANDOM 1.1 MILLION DOLLARS ARE COMING FROM…………. FOR THE SO CALLED REWARRRDDDD…………. [[SMH]]
February 12, 2013 at 9:44 PM
Dorner was not real. A bad idea meant to flare up anti 2nd amendment feelings gone wrong. It only flared up anti govt sentiment. Stay strong America.
February 12, 2013 at 10:12 PM
I'll laugh when the cabin owners sue the Sheriff's department, the Sate of California,and Facebook.
February 13, 2013 at 1:58 AM
If you were truely the administrator you'd have a blue line on your name while all the others would be grey.