Christopher Dorner

[Sava]

[-Jrabbit]

It's not necessarily acceptance of vigilante justice.

BS. Just look at this thread.

There have been a lot of TV dramas based on the idea, and it has taken root in the the public consciousness. Series like Person of Interest, 24, Leverage, The Mentalist, Burn Notice and others -- not to mention countless movies -- all revolve around the idea that a righteous individual (or group) can AND SHOULD do "whatever it takes" to mete out justice. (Not that it's a new idea, but the proliferation of this kind of underpinning is IMHO notable.)

The fact that opinion polls show the US populace is fine with the idea of the government executing U.S. citizens without so much as a court order, never mind actual due process, is frankly disturbing and scary.

The Dorner case just puts it in sharper relief.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Don't forget Dirty Harry. What people watch for fantasy/entertainment/escapism isn't necessarily how things play out in the jury box.

Opinion polls don't mean a whole lot without looking at the exact questions and how they're phrased.

If you have a dashcam video of Dorner on his knees, hands over his head and fingers interlocked, being fully compliant, and a cop walks up and shoots him in the back of the head, you won't see widespread acceptance. If you have some more ambiguous situation, people will give the cops greater benefit of the doubt than normal.

[-Jrabbit]

Jury box? Even if Dorner is taken alive, I doubt he will live to see trial.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Jury box? Even if Dorner is taken alive, I doubt he will live to see trial.

You could say that about most any cop killer. LA County Jail is under LASD jurisdiction, not LAPD, and they don't want to draw any unnecessary heat for an in-custody fatality.

[PLATO]

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security

Declaration of Independence Quote. Probably the basis for all those shows (and some movies as well!)

[The Mad Monk]

Christopher Dorner in gun battle with authorities
February 12, 2013 | 1:12 pm

Christopher Dorner was engaged in a shootout with federal authorities in the Big Bear area Tuesday, a law enforcement source told The Times.

The shooting occurred after Dorner burglarized a home, tied up a couple and stole their car, the source said.

It was not immediately clear whether Dorner was in custody.

A second source said there was an active crime scene but did not have details.

Law enforcement officials were swarming the area.

U.S. Marshal's officials said in court papers that Dorner could have fled to Mexico. In Tijuana, Dorner as listed as one of the most wanted fugitives. But Neiman said that is only one of many locations authorities are considering.

Neiman said detectives were examining video that might show Dorner purchasing scuba gear at a Sport Chalet store in Torrance days before his alleged killing spree began.

Law enforcement sources told The Times that officials have confirmed the man in the video is Dorner. He spent $5 to $10 to fill up a scuba tank, the sources said. Investigators have also reviewed store receipts.

Officers have crisscrossed California pursuing tips about Dorner's possible whereabouts -- including efforts in Tijuana, Mexico, San Diego County and Big Bear -- and serving warrants at homes in Las Vegas and Point Loma.

Meanwhile, an associate of Dorner was being tracked by investigators, according to court records that suggest the fugitive former police officer may have received help as he eluded a massive law enforcement dragnet.

Dorner, 33, a former LAPD officer, has evaded authorities since Wednesday night when he was named as the suspect in the slaying of an Irvine couple, a crime that preceded a wave of violence and a law enforcement dragnet across California and Nevada.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court raises the possibility that Dorner may have been assisted by an associate identified as "J.Y."

Statewide alerts have been issued in California and Nevada, and border authorities have been alerted. The Transportation Security Administration also issued an alert urging pilots and other aircraft operators to keep an eye out for Dorner.

The search turned to Big Bear last week after Dorner's burning truck was found on a local forest road.

At the search's height, more than 200 officers scoured the mountain, conducting cabin-by-cabin checks. It has since been scaled back: About 30 officers were involved Monday and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said about the same number would be out again Tuesday.

"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 said Tuesday.

Authorities also asked residents in the Big Bear area with security cameras at their homes to review any video recorded after midnight Feb. 7 to see if images of Dorner had been captured.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court raised the possibility that Dorner may have been assisted by "a known associate" -- identified only as "J.Y." -- with a family member who owns a property in the San Bernardino Mountains. The exact relationship between Dorner and J.Y. was not detailed in the document.

The court records also provide new details as to why federal authorities developed "probable cause" that Dorner may have been trying to flee to Mexico as the law enforcement authorities were widening their dragnet.

Dorner allegedly attempted to steal a boat in San Diego and, after subduing the captain, said he was taking the vessel to Mexico, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint in federal court in Los Angeles. Dorner is accused of telling the captain that he could recover his boat in 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 Service Inspector Craig McClusky.

After authorities interviewed the boat captain early Thursday, they found Dorner's wallet and identification cards "at the San Ysidro Point of Entry" near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the court records. 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.

Federal authorities told The Times on Monday night that the court papers reflected their thinking at the time, but they stressed that Dorner could be anywhere.

A Tijuana hotel was searched Monday after Mexican authorities received vague information Dorner might be in the area, sources familiar with the investigation said. Dorner was not found, they said.

Dorner allegedly threatened "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" against police in a lengthy manifesto that authorities say he posted on Facebook. The posting named dozens of potential targets, including police officers, that Dorner allegedly threatened to attack, according to authorities.

The records state that the manifesto was discovered by authorities Wednesday, three days after the slaying of the two Irvine victims: Monica Quan, a Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, a USC public safety officer.

Quan was the daughter of a retired LAPD captain whom Dorner allegedly blamed in part for his firing from the force in 2009.

The federal documents also provide new details on Dorner's alleged attack against officers early Thursday in Riverside County.

The first shooting was in Corona after an eyewitness reported a person matching Dorner's description at a gas station, telling an LAPD officer "who was detailed to the area to protect one of the officials whom Dorner had threatened," according to the court records.

"When the officer drove by the gas station, the suspect exited his vehicle and fired an assault rifle at the officer, hitting the officer's vehicle," according to the court records.

The LAPD later said the officer received a grazing wound.

About 30 minutes later, Dorner opened fire on Riverside police officers "who were in the area searching for Dorner," the documents said. On that detail, the account conflicts with a statement provided to the media by Riverside police officials, who said the officers were stopped at a red light and were not looking for Dorner.

Riverside Officer Michael Crain, 34, a married father of two who served two tours in Kuwait as a rifleman in the Marines, was killed in the attack. His partner remains hospitalized, Police Chief Sergio Diaz said, and it was unclear if he would be able to return to active duty.

Dorner was charged Monday with one count of murder, with special-circumstance allegations in the killing of a peace officer and the discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, in connection with Crain's death. He faces three additional charges of attempted murder.

Riverside Dist. Atty. Paul Zellerbach said because of the special-circumstance allegations, Dorner could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/manhunt-christopher-dorner-big-bear.html

[DaShi]

So?

[Supr49er]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/live-video/

Dorner "pinned down" in a mountain cabin. 2 deputies reported shot.

[MichaeltheGreat]

One way or another, it won't be long now.

[Sava]

BS. Just look at this thread.

There have been a lot of TV dramas based on the idea, and it has taken root in the the public consciousness. Series like Person of Interest, 24, Leverage, The Mentalist, Burn Notice and others -- not to mention countless movies -- all revolve around the idea that a righteous individual (or group) can AND SHOULD do "whatever it takes" to mete out justice. (Not that it's a new idea, but the proliferation of this kind of underpinning is IMHO notable.)

For every one of these shows, there are three or four times as many police procedural shows championing the righteousness of law enforcement and the justice system. So yeah.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Looks like it's the end of the line. 1 San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy died of wounds, one wounded, and as of 4:33 pacific, the cabin in which Dorner is believed to be barricaded is on fire and ammo cooking off inside, after a pretty lengthy exchange of fire, then tear gas rounds fired in and a general assault.

[Hauldren Collider]

How much you wanna bet the fire that burned down his cabin was an "accident" on the part of the police?

[Uncle Sparky]

Could have been a lit cigarette, but it sounds like the the tactical team used flash bombs, and Dorner had a lot of ammo which ignited, although he may have used the fire as a diversion to flee. A true American hero.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Flashbangs don't typically cause fires unless there's a lot of highly combustible material. Tear gas grenades are another story. Especially when a large number are fired.