BIG BEAR LAKE — Faced with regular barrages of gunfire, officers confronting suspected killer Christopher Dorner lobbed incendiary tear gas into the cabin where he was believed to be holed up.
That’s the latest word from law enforcement officials with knowledge of the situation, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The cabin caught on fire and authorities believe Dorner was burned inside. A body was discovered but authorities have not confirmed it was Dorner.
Investigators have found personal items belonging to Dorner inside the rubble of the burned cabin, further supporting the belief that the body is his.
Law enforcement sources said the officers got into several gun battles with Dorner during nearly four-hour siege at the cabin in the Big Bear area.
The standoff began with Dorner allegedly fatally shot a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy and seriously injured another.
SWAT officers surrounding the cabin were under a “constant barrage of gunfire,” one source said.
“He put himself in that position. There weren’t a lot of options,” the source said.
Hoping to end the standoff, law enforcement authorities first lobbed “traditional” tear gas into the cabin.
When that did not work, they opted to use CS gas canisters, which are known in law enforcement parlance as incendiary tear gas. These canisters have significantly more chance of starting a fire.
This gas can cause humans to have burning eyes and start to feel as if they are being starved for oxygen. It is often used to drive barricaded individuals out.
If the body is identified as Dorner’s, the standoff would end a weeklong manhunt for the ex-LAPD officer and Navy reservist suspected in a string of shootings following his firing several years ago.
Four people have died in the case, allegedly at Dorner’s hands, including an Irvine couple, a Riverside police officer and, most recently, a San Bernardino sheriff’s deputy.
LAPD Lt. Andy Neimam said on Wednesday morning that the department has returned to its normal state of operations, and has not been on tactical alert since Tuesday morning.
Neiman would not comment on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation of the remains.
He said that “about a dozen or so” protective details will remain in place for individuals named in Dorner’s manifesto until police and the families feel safe.
The injured San Bernardino deputy is expected to survive, but it is anticipated he will need several surgeries. The names of the two deputies have not been released.
Just before 5 p.m., authorities smashed the cabin’s windows, pumped in tear gas and called for the suspect to surrender, officials said. They got no response.
Then, using a demolition vehicle, they tore down the cabin’s walls one by one. When they reached the last wall, they heard a gunshot. Then the cabin burst into flames, officials said.
Last week, authorities said they had tracked Dorner to a wooded area near Big Bear Lake.
They found his torched gray Nissan Titan with several weapons inside, they said, and the only trace of Dorner was a short trail of footprints in newly fallen snow.
According to a manifesto that officials say Dorner posted on Facebook, he felt the LAPD unjustly fired him several years ago.
A disciplinary panel determined that he lied in accusing his training officer of kicking a mentally ill man during an arrest. Beck has promised to review the case.
The manifesto vows “unconventional and asymmetrical warfare” against law enforcement officers and their families. “
Self-preservation is no longer important to me. I do not fear death as I died long ago,” it said.
On Tuesday morning, two maids entered a cabin in the 1200 block of Club View Drive and ran into a man who they said resembled the fugitive, a law enforcement official said.
The cabin was not far from where Dorner’s singed truck had been found and where police had been holding news conferences about the manhunt.
The man tied up the maids, and he took off in a purple Nissan parked near the cabin, the official said. About 12:20 p.m., one of the maids broke free and called police.
Nearly half an hour later, officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife spotted the stolen vehicle and called for backup, authorities said.
The suspect turned down a side road in an attempt to elude the officers but crashed the vehicle, police said.
A short time later, authorities said, the suspect carjacked a light-colored Dodge pickup truck.
Rick Heltebrake was driving on Glass Road with his dog, when he says Dorner pointed a large, rifle-type gun at him and ordered him out of his truck.
Heltebrake said he recognized Dorner right away, and that the fugitive seemed “pretty calm,” even saying he didn’t want to hurt him.
As he fled, the suspect encountered two Fish and Wildlife vehicles. As he zoomed past the officers, he rolled down his window and fired about 15 to 20 rounds, officials said.
One of the officers jumped out and shot a high-powered rifle at the fleeing pickup. The suspect abandoned the vehicle and took off on foot, police said.
They said he ended up at the Seven Oaks Mountain Cabins, a cluster of wood-frame buildings about halfway between Big Bear Lake and Yucaipa.
The suspect exchanged gunfire with San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies as he fled into a cabin that locals described as a single-story, multi-room structure.
The suspect fired from the cabin, striking one deputy, law enforcement sources said.
Then he ducked out the back of the cabin, deployed a smoke bomb and opened fire again, hitting a second deputy before retreating back into the cabin.
Within hours, authorities moved in on the cabin. The fire broke out, setting off ammunition that had apparently been inside.
Police say Dorner’s first victims were the daughter of the retired LAPD official who represented him at his disciplinary hearing and her fiance.
Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence were found shot to death Feb. 3 in their car in their condo complex’s parking structure.
Days later, officials said, Dorner allegedly attempted to steal a boat in San Diego in a failed bid to escape to Mexico.
By Feb. 7, authorities said, he had fled to the Inland Empire. In Corona, police said, he fired at an LAPD officer searching for him at a gas station.
About half an later, he allegedly opened fire on two Riverside officers, killing Michael Crain, 34, and injuring his partner.
After his truck was found in Big Bear, authorities swarmed the area, where many cabins sit empty during the winter.
At the height of the search, more than 200 officers scoured the mountain, while others sifted through more than 1,000 tips that poured in after officials offered a $1-million reward.
Just as some officials began to speculate that the former cop had failed to survive in the wilderness, Dorner apparently surfaced.
-KTLA/Los Angeles Times
73 Comments to “Incendiary Tear Gas Reportedly Used on Dorner Cabin”
February 13, 2013 at 11:30 AM
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February 13, 2013 at 1:34 PM
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February 13, 2013 at 1:47 PM
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February 13, 2013 at 11:31 AM
I'd like to know what "incendiary tear gas" is. After years in military and law enforcement, I've never heard of such a thing. Oh, wait, it's just media sensationalism. You can't just tell the real story, you have to hype it up, right?
February 13, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Incendiary tear gas is what many so-called law enforcement agencies spew out of their lungs like a dragon. WACO was the perfect example of police force legalized murder. Ah shucks, says the LAPD, "we didn't know the place would burn down."
February 13, 2013 at 12:15 PM
CS gas is the same now that it was back in my military days. CS was designed as a irritant agent. CS is one of the most commonly used tear gases in the world. It is used as a NON-LETHAL means to control or end a situation. If a CS grenade was used, it has a fuze that ignites the contents and release CS gas in aerosol form. The military and law enforcement have used it for years. CS creates watery eyes and lots of snot slinging. However, anticipate that it would start a fire, not so much. Have seen it used many times in close quarter combat and no fires. By the way, “a single shot was heard from INSIDE the cabin, then the building burst into flames”. So chances are this cat was dead before the fire.
February 13, 2013 at 1:45 PM
what now LAPD is responsible for WACO,RTFLMAO
February 13, 2013 at 12:05 PM
theres a video on youtube where someone was recording kcal 9's live broadcast and has audio of an officer saying "burn that motha f***er down" you should check it out. I found the link on the pasadena star news
February 13, 2013 at 12:54 PM
So what is your point?
They should have shot him first?
F@ck DOrner I'm glad he roasted to death he got what he deserved now he can rot in hell
February 13, 2013 at 4:02 PM
The rule of law does not apply to San Benadino and LA County sheriffs. They did not want to capture this man alive because of all the "dirty laundry" secrets he had and the popo were not about to have those made public. Too bad he died.
February 13, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Go to youtube, type christofer dorner, all the evidence is there, "were going to burn this place" , "burn this motherf….." there is 5min of scanner evidence. Just like they did in Waco, don't believe the cover-up and the twisted words
February 13, 2013 at 12:55 PM
Keep living a paranoid delusional life
I'm glad they burned him to death
February 13, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Its people like you that allow; support LAPD and what they do to people. Donner took innocent lives and no one should support that, but he took a stand. Unfortunately, the wrong way. How do people get heard then? He suffered from Depression, he wasn't a Schizophrenic and if he was, it was probably because of how he was treated bythe LAPD force and for his service in the military. How many people come back normal after serving?
February 13, 2013 at 3:08 PM
You need to get a grip. DORNER (not Donner) had, by his own admission violent tendencies even as a child, and was very quick to take offense and equally quick to pound his opinions into the "offending" person, so don't go blaming LAPD. Taking a stand is one thing, and there are a lot of ways to be heard without violence. We are supposed to be a civilized society, but he chose to do this. He got the only ending he wanted. As for coming back normal from active duty. . .define normal, because I seriously doubt that Dorner was ever "normal."
February 13, 2013 at 1:47 PM
THEY DID, OH MY. Good he deserved it, lets hope he missed his head, or burned before he bled out.
February 13, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Would you guys report on the police PLANNING to burn the cabin with Dorner in it? I think Dorner was a murderer and no hero, but he still deserved a trial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNk-bV40XMc&fe… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCdqybEfy9w&fe… http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/18f32f/do…
February 13, 2013 at 1:48 PM
Probably, what's your point. Excessive force, not excessive enough for me. I would have used a RPG on his azz
February 13, 2013 at 2:06 PM
Other orgs are starting to report it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/chris-do… http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2013…
@Spearchucker: Because the police are not the judge, jury or executioner.
February 13, 2013 at 2:13 PM
There is no way he was ever going to get a fair trail…He knew it and so does Amreica.
February 13, 2013 at 3:10 PM
Who is Amreica?
February 13, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Trial? This guy said he was not going to be taken alive! He is sick there are a lot of people hurting because of what he has done.
February 13, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Like I said yesterday, I wonder who burned down the cabin, LAPD or SBSO. Now we know it was LE
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February 13, 2013 at 12:25 PM
Check other sources Channel 2 and Channel 9…they said burn it down, then they laughed and cheered when they heard the gunshot..they didn't tear down walls until much later after fire started. Why didn't they look in the cabin…CNN reported that they did and never said if they saw the suspect…why allow someone to burn alive if you have taken all these steps, and they say they heard a gunshot and no one ever tried to verify. You state that they heard the gunshot before the fire started, why not try to put the fire out, no response and they still don't check, something is not right here.
February 13, 2013 at 12:27 PM
Here's a link http://www.justicerape.com/christopher-dorner-con…
February 13, 2013 at 12:57 PM
Hey moron all he had to do was walk out and surrender
He chose to die in the cabin
He can rot in hell
February 14, 2013 at 1:17 PM
I think just by your response, the moron is obvious.
So he had a choice to walk out in the open and get riddled with bullets or stay in the cabin and burn? Some choice. He obviously wasn't going to walk away from any scenario, look at the women who were shot just for the chance they may have been him. As an American I will fight to protect our constitutional rights, even for the people who are breaking the law. We have a justice system that we have to rely on to make these decisions. Not the police, not you, and not me.
February 14, 2013 at 6:24 PM
What right do you have calling someone a moron just for expressing their opinion ? Get a grip, already.
February 13, 2013 at 2:30 PM
Check out this transcript… there's no doubt that they wanted him to burn alive. https://archive.org/details/DornerStandoff2
February 13, 2013 at 12:28 PM
so, they burned that other cleaning lady that was still tied up in the cabin? im confused…
February 13, 2013 at 2:06 PM
Different cabin
February 14, 2013 at 1:29 PM
No they did not burn that house down. Also, the cleaning ladies turned out to be a married couple who owned the cabin.
They still don't know who was in the cabin they burned down. Wonder if they will ever know.
They couldn't know who was in the burned cabin because they never looked….or according to CNN they did but never gave any other information about the contents of the house.
All of this seems to be a media nightmare, reporting all the latest rumors but looking like completely inept form of information source, back tracking on the stories, trying to change the stories, like we haven't all been listening. Then the LAPD AND SBSO with this power struggle about who is lead investigating team, LAPD confirming Dorner dead and then SBSO saying they haven't even enter the building yet. It's a whole lot of confusion and chaos. We will probably never know the true, full story.
February 13, 2013 at 12:36 PM
He got what he had coming. What he has said might be true, but you just dont go killing people just because. He is a POS
February 13, 2013 at 2:36 PM
What evidence is there, that he committed any crime? How do we know that he wrote the "manifesto"? What happened to his right to a trial by jury? He may be guilty, but nothing has been proven, and he still deserves the due process of the law. It's more disgusting that the LAPD ran around shooting at innocent people. The police are not above the law, and they are certainly not the judge, jury, and executioner. People like them (and you) are the true POS's.
February 13, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Jsut In News Report!!!! I just saw a report where they are saying the body they found is not Dorner its a woman
February 13, 2013 at 12:59 PM
I thought they found his I.D. and badge in San Diego? How can his her personal affects survive an inferno?
February 13, 2013 at 5:35 PM
Not everything burns in an inferno. Some of the oddest items remain untouched.
Correct, his photo I.D. card was found in San Diego — "personal items" could be any number of things, i.e. Credit Cards, Driver's License, ATM Card, etc.
February 13, 2013 at 1:07 PM
Unfortunately burning the cabin is police procedure, as much as they deny it, try to cover it up and twist their words to make us believe different. I thought they would wait him out a little longer than they did. They tell us it was tear gas, incendairy tear gas will not produce that much smoke, then you see bright red flames almost immediately, come on boys you can't pull the wool over our eyes !! In Waco they waited it out cause of the 17 children inside, then they had enough and torched the place, same here except they didn't wait. by rights they should have set up a command post and try to communicate with dorner to have him come out peacefully, i think they had wasted enough resources and took immediate action, he killed a few from the brotherhood and that was it. They forgot the marshmallows…lol
February 13, 2013 at 1:14 PM
Where did the other maid go? He had two maid's tied up.. one left and called the police- I am not seeing where the other one got away??
February 13, 2013 at 1:36 PM
The definition of incendiary is" relating to a deliberate burn".Now that CNN and other networks have the audio recording "Burners deployed and we have a fire" with officers cheering on "burn him" . More truth comes out. I was feeling bad about the San Bernadino Officer now I'm just disgusted and think all law enforcement are sick barbaric scum. And for all the people who think anyone who has a negative opinion about law enforcement are criminals. No we're law abiding citzens who dont lie and have standards and we expect nothing less from our law enforcement. We're sick of Southern California's crime rate and sick of being sandwiched between the standard street criminal and criminals who hide behind a badge and our government.
February 13, 2013 at 1:45 PM
California has turned into an arm pit and the police are all disgsting corrupt liars. We saw the whole thing on the news. They didnt wait anything out or give this man the slightest chance. They wanted him dead because he knows too much about police and police polices. Dead men dont talk..
February 13, 2013 at 2:09 PM
I completely agree! Silence the "Whistle blower"… LAPD's new motto! If they don't shut up, then we will shut them up!
February 13, 2013 at 1:47 PM
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 susan673. They may and could contain a virus, spyware and malware. We are doing our best to delete them from our network. Thank you.
February 13, 2013 at 1:49 PM
Honestly anyone these days that has anything to do with government is a corrupt criminal out for selfish finacial gain nothing more or less.
February 13, 2013 at 4:53 PM
Then don't call 911 when some greasy thug is raping your family member in your living room. You wouldn't want a "corrupt scumbag" to show up and harm the rapist. That would be unacceptable.
February 13, 2013 at 1:51 PM
Well one thing is he proved there is corruption in the force ! In my opinion most officers are x military and more than likely have PTSD like Dorner. Dorner snapped when they turned on him and fired him. I believe Dorner about the corruption but do not condone what he did. I think they should NOT hire military men/women. You know they have to be disturbed by the job in the military. Shooting a white man and 2 women in completely different type of trucks without regard or orders IS CORRUPTION. The Police Chief is passing those actions over for mistaken identity????????? PLEASE GET REAL. CORRUPTION IN THE HIGHEST! Along with the COVERUP!!!!!
February 13, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Please…easy with slamming x-military. Post Traumatic Stress Disordercan result from any traumatic experience. Those that survived from the World Trade Center on 911 could very well suffer from PTSD. Fire Fighters that look for lost bodies after a fire disaster can suffer from PTSD. Someone who tragically loses a family member could suffer from PTSD. Anyone that survives a particularly traumatic ordeal can suffer from PTSD. Those of us that have served in uniform (whether military or civilian) would take particular displeasure in your remarks and those of us that have or are suffering from PTSD would love to return to a life before stricken with PTSD.
February 13, 2013 at 1:52 PM
Well they finally admitted to throwing gas into the cabin, they say because of an intense fire fight, funny i never heard anything to that nature on the scanner ?? Maybe dorner and the police were using silencers…ya right. funny he was hanging out 50 yards from the command post right under their noses. Big LOL on the cops with that one !!
February 13, 2013 at 1:57 PM
I'm a retired police officer not of LA he probably was fired unjustly you can't go against the blue wall ive seen things in my 30 yrs but didn't say nothing only time I would if it my job because of someone else. He had no reason to kill those people he went way to far. He should of hired a great attorney and tried that .
February 14, 2013 at 1:31 PM
Edt you are a man of character to admit that. You have dignity and self respect. My hats off to you.
February 13, 2013 at 2:01 PM
The police have become the Mafia. Just like the Mafia they kill their own with absolutely no conscience. Dorner broke the law just like hundreds of thousands of people have and he deserved a trial just like everyone else whether we like it or not "it is the law" and the way a "society" works.
February 13, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Society ?? Not when you kill a few from the "society of the brotherhood" !! The rules change then.
February 13, 2013 at 3:14 PM
Hey, leave my ancestors out of this!
February 13, 2013 at 2:10 PM
It shows that some police including former officer Dormer believe they are above the law. To
shoot tear gas into a cabin well knowing it would catch fire. Is that not murder? Dormer was
a murderer and likely had ptsd and the police department follows it all up by murdering him?
Something is seriously wrong with that story.
February 13, 2013 at 2:33 PM
Really where is the other maid?? I watched the viedo they knew what they were doing.They wanted Dorner DEAD… What he did was wrong killing people. But I hope that someone will step and look into this matter and show that I have no doubt he was telling the truth.. I know as a mom I would screm to the top of the world to have someone help me clear my son's name. I feel for all the familys that lost loved ones.
February 13, 2013 at 3:15 PM
The cabin that burned is NOT the same cabin where Dorner tied up the two maids. Don't you read or listen to the news? Both maids were taken to Loma Linda to be checked out and both are home safe.
Sheese!
February 13, 2013 at 3:29 PM
Please don't Sheese ME.. I watched all last night and have had the news on in my office all day and NONE OF US HERE have heard anything about the other maid on ANY station… And the way the news have made up their own stories who can you believe..
February 14, 2013 at 9:31 AM
You are right Debbie…James Holmes KILLED 12 INNOCENT MOVIE GOERS in Colorado yet he's still alive and "most likely" will never die at the hands of the govt and will be "treated" with medication for the rest of his life…
February 14, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Thank you BCoble… You are so right.
February 13, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Some FBI guy being interviewed on CNN says police forces don't use incendiary gas, he is trying to twist the truth and is saying, oh the police didn't start the fire, it could have been a number of things, they played him the scanner tape and he says that could just about mean anything, another attempt to cover up !! I invite all readers to go to you tube, type christofer dorner and listen to the scanner for yourselves, it seems quite clear to me what was going on, "burn that place", "burn that motherf……" Keep up the excuses and trying to justify your renagade actions, nothing but a joke. I DON"T BELIEVE YOU !!
February 13, 2013 at 3:18 PM
The police are now no better than street gangs. Seems the word out about the corruption of LAPD and Villaragrosa is the only truth to come out in this whole situation. Dorner is looking more like the last trustworthy truthspeaking person at LAPD and is rapidally become a hero. All I can think is God be with us and hopefully if nothing else we elect a new Mayor soon.
February 13, 2013 at 3:46 PM
Can't wait to here all the justification and lies on Anderson Cooper tonight, the media is just as bad.
ANDERSON play those scanner tapes and let the people decide !!!!!! " going to do the burn", copy, "just like we talked about" …..friggen joke !! Lets hear the scanner from the helicopter, no doubt in my mind about that one. Seems no matter what the police do and no matter how wrong it is, they find some way to sway people into believing them….ARG !!!
February 13, 2013 at 4:03 PM
For all of you cops who prefer to beat disabled people and citizens in general without the inconvenience of having your "work" come under scrutiny, The Fullerton Police Department is hiring.
February 13, 2013 at 4:04 PM
Incendiary: pertaining to the malicious setting and burning of property Arson. Chemicals, bombs, that cause a fire.
February 13, 2013 at 4:09 PM
the other maid is charo. cuchi-cuchi.
February 13, 2013 at 4:10 PM
California has been rumbling with 4. earthquake warnings. I think its time we have a big one so LAPD knows who's boss. LAPD and law enforcement are not God. Nor are they suppose to act with vigilante justice as jury, judge and executioner.
February 13, 2013 at 4:38 PM
Just watched the CNN news conference and the lies continued to flow about setting of the fire and law enforcements involvement and responsiblity. Then former LAPD Chief William Bratton spoke. It was refreshing to finally hear an honest office speak. I think even Bratton knows that there is and has been nothing but corruption in LAPD before and after he was wih the department. Thank you Mr. Bratton for the truth.
February 13, 2013 at 6:57 PM
No matter how bad the situation or how evil someone is like Charles Mason who killed heaven only knows how many people. Even child killers like the one who killed Polly Klass. People cant go out and burn someones house down with them in it to kill them or they would go to jail. All we currently have is vigilante police and Sheriff's. To me it sounded like the voice of Sheriff John McMahhon screaming the orders to burn him. And if you pay close attention to Sheriff McMahon's statements today he said we didn't set fire to burn him out of the cabin. But that doesnt me they didnt set fire to burn him up "in" the cabin. Just like anyone else these officers should face the consequences of breaking the law for uncontrolled rage and violence. Not because Dorner was right but because this is wrong!
February 13, 2013 at 7:48 PM
I've gone to dozens of blogs and just went to CNN and their are thousands and thousands of people who view this unexceptable behavior by law enforcement and all agree they are twisting the truth and lying about everything. People mention The Night stalker who killed 30 people who wasn't targeted and treated like this. No one wants to think badly about law enforcement. But even now if you dont agree with their point of view, their behavior railroading this man and burning this man alive in a fire you become the enemy regardless if you are an upstanding citizen. So can you imagine if you were Dorner trying to get the truth out.
February 13, 2013 at 8:01 PM
So now CNN has the couple who Dorner had in the first cabin. They aren't two maids "at all".
It's an older man and woman who "owned" the cabin. The coverage and details of this situation are so bad. If you didnt see the live coverage with your "own eyes" and hear it with your "own ears" like the audio with the Sheirff's saying burn him and set the cabin on fire with Dorner in it. You cant believe a word law enforcement says.
February 13, 2013 at 8:52 PM
So KTLA is still reporting two maids were tied up when I just finished an article on MSNBC where they interviewed the TWO OWNERS who arrived to straighten up their rental and were tied up!