IRVINE, Calif.
(AP) -- A $1 million reward for a fugitive ex-police officer wanted in
the slayings of three people took authorities to a San Fernando Valley
home improvement store but so far prompted no credible leads in the
search for Christopher Dorner.
The manhunt for
him, coupled with the need for added security at Sunday's Grammy
Awards, left the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department stretched
thin. A tactical alert began Sunday afternoon and remained in effect
Monday for all city officers, which means they're staying on duty beyond
their shifts.
Besides responding to the usual
calls for service, police have been protecting dozens of families in
the area considered targets based on Dorner's Facebook rant against
those he held responsible for ending his career with the LAPD five years
ago.
Among those Dorner, 33, is suspected of
killing is a Riverside police officer, and on the fourth day of the
manhunt, authorities put up a $1 million reward for information leading
to his capture.
"Our dedication to catch this
killer remains steadfast. Our confidence remains unshaken," Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a news conference alongside police
chiefs and mayors from Irvine and Riverside. "We will not tolerate this
reign of terror."
Several tips came in within a
few hours after the award announcement, including a reported Dorner
sighting that had police surrounding and evacuating a Lowe's Home
Improvement store in LA's San Fernando Valley, police spokesman Gus
Villanueva said. A search of the store yielded no evidence that Dorner
was there or had been there.
After days
without resolution, Dorner's fugitive status caused concern among some
and downright fear among others in Irvine, an upscale community that the
FBI consistently ranks among the safest cities in the U.S.
"If
he did come around this corner, what could happen? We're in the
crossfire, with the cops right there," said Irvine resident Joe Palacio,
who lives down the street from the home surrounded by authorities
protecting a police captain mentioned in Dorner's posting.
"I do think about where I would put my family," he said. "Would we call 911? Would we hide in the closet?"
The
neighborhood has been flooded with authorities since Wednesday.
Residents have seen police helicopters circle and cruisers stake out
schools. Some have responded by keeping their children home. Others no
longer walk their dogs at night.
Police also were looking into a taunting phone call to the father of the woman they believe Dorner killed last week.
Two
law enforcement officers who requested anonymity because of the ongoing
investigation told The Associated Press they are trying to determine
whether Dorner made the call telling retired police Capt. Randal Quan
that he should have done a better job protecting his daughter.
The bodies of Monica Quan and her fiance were found shot dead last Sunday in Irvine, marking the start of the high-profile case.
Things
escalated early Thursday, when police say Dorner got into a shootout
with police in Corona, grazing an LAPD officer's head with a bullet
before escaping. Authorities believe he then used a rifle to ambush two
Riverside police officers, killing one and seriously wounding the other.
Police
had withheld the names of victims both living and dead victims because
of fears of Dorner targeting their families, but on Sunday the Riverside
Police Department released the name of the officer killed, 34-year-old
ex-Marine and 11 year department veteran Michael Crain.
The Anaheim native and father of two will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery on Wednesday.
Riverside
police Chief Sergio Diaz said police had hoped Dorner would be in
custody by now, but they decided to proceed with the identification and
public memorial.
"We're not going to fail our officer and our hero," Diaz said Sunday. "We're going to bury him."
About
65 miles away, the manhunt continued in the San Bernardino mountains
near the ski resort town of Big Bear, where authorities found Dorner's
burned out pickup truck Thursday. Police have since said they discovered
weapons and camping gear inside the vehicle.
The
search scaled down as the weekend went on, but a helicopter with
heat-seeking technology scanned the area as two-dozen officers went back
to some of the 600 cabins they earlier visited door to door.
LAPD
Chief Charlie Beck said despite the dwindling search, there was not
another area that appeared more likely than Big Bear where Dorner might
be, saying the suspect's chances to plan beforehand may have helped him
remain elusive.
"We have nothing currently better, Beck said at Sunday's news conference.
Police
and city officials believe the $1 million reward, raised from both
public and private sources, would give them better options.
Beck said the money, believed the biggest reward in local history, was not difficult to pull together.
"It was amazingly, amazingly easy," he said.
The
chief said the case is distinct from most that offer rewards for
fleeing fugitives because police strongly believe Dorner would strike
again if given the chance.
"This is not about
catching a fugitive suspect, it's about preventing a future crime, most
likely a murder," Beck said. "This is an act, make no mistake about it,
of domestic terrorism."
He deflected questions
about whether the reward applied whether Dorner were dead or alive,
calling the phrase "ugly" and saying he hoped no one else was injured in
the ordeal, including the suspect.
With
little apparent evidence pointing to Dorner's whereabouts, worrisome
questions emerged: How long could the intense search be sustained? And,
if Dorner continues to evade capture, how do authorities protect dozens
of former police colleagues whom he has publicly targeted?
LAPD
Cmdr. Andrew Smith said the department has deployed 50 protection
details to guard officers and their families who are deemed targets in
Dorner's manifesto.
"It can't be one guy with a
gun in a living room," Smith said, suggesting that more officers would
be necessary to keep families safe.
The
department, however, is looking for alternatives if the search for
Dorner stretches on, whether it's reducing the numbers of officers or
something else, he said.
There were no plans to reduce protections until Dorner was in custody, Los Angeles police Sgt. Rudy Lopez said.
As
long as Dorner's whereabouts are unknown, the police department must
provide protection to those named in his rant, said Chuck Drago, a
Florida-based police consultant.
"We realize
it costs money and it gets expensive, but this is as clear of a threat
as you can get," he said. "We know that if he's able to get to these
targets then he's probably able to hurt them. The money is always an
issue but not when it's somebody's life at stake."
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