Dorner manhunt: Charred body remains found in cabin
Charred human remains have been found in the burned-out cabin. It is believed to be what is left of the fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner's body, but identification could take days or weeks, LAPD said.
Former LAPD officer and suspected killer Christopher Dorner had barricaded himself in a cabin in a wooded area around 80 miles from Los Angeles, following a shootout that wounded at least two officers and a car chase on Tuesday.One of the deputies wounded by Dorner was airlifted to a hospital and later died, while the other is currently undergoing surgery and is expected to survive.Law enforcement agents surrounded the cabin and threw smoke bombs in a bid to lure Dorner out, who reportedly retaliated with similar tactics in an attempt to elude authorities.Several hours into the standoff, the cabin caught fire and slowly burned out, with no signs of anyone trying to flee the building. It is still unknown what caused the fire, but there were reports of explosions inside the building as authorities exchanged shots with the suspect.During the operation, authorities asked the media to discontinue their live aerial broadcast and withhold from tweeting live updates from the scene. Law enforcement shifted off of public radio frequencies right after announcing a plan to “go ahead with the burner,” users on Twitter said.During a press conference on the hunt for Christopher Dorner, LAPD spokesperson Andrew Smith called on the suspect to end the bloodshed. “Enough is enough, it's time to turn yourself in,” he said, suggesting that the suspect was watching the news inside his hideout. “It’s time for this incident to be over.”
Dorner, a former cop and Navy reservist who has been at-large since last week, has been named a suspect in three murders in Southern California. Authorities have formally charged him with one of the crimes.Dorner has been untraceable in the days since the crimes, and a manifesto attributed to him that was published online has helped garner international intrigue about the case. On Tuesday afternoon, however, reports developed that suggested Dorner has surfaced and was back on the run.According to an NBC affiliate in Los Angeles, a man matching Mr. Dorner’s description entered a mountainside cabin in Big Bear and took a two people hostage. The LAPD says that the suspect tied up the couple and then fled the scene in one of the victim’s vehicles, which could be linked to a nearby reckless driving accident. The Los Angeles Times was the first outlet to rehash the case on Tuesday, reporting that afternoon that Mr. Dorner engaged in a firefight with authorities. A law enforcement source speaking to the paper confirmed the news on condition of anonymity, and CNN independently verified that claim shortly after 1 p.m. local time.
