Dragnet for Dorner Pays Off

The remnants of Dorner’s truck (courtesy of KCRA)

Last week, I published a post about former LAPD officer and vigilante fugitive Christopher Dorner (“Most Wanted“). As I’m sure you know from every possible news outlet in the civilized world, Dorner is accused of killing three people and wounding several others, most of them cops or family members of cops he believes are corrupt or played some role in his dismissal.

For almost a week, Dorner has been on the run and pursued by his former colleagues, all of whom seek vengeance against this alleged cop killer. And I’ve seen enough movies to know that “the fuzz” doesn’t take kindly to cop killers, so this definitely won’t end well.

Since Dorner’s burned-out truck was found near the mountain resort of Big Bear, the bulk of the search has focused there. However, police have also traveled as far as Las Vegas and the Mexican border to find this dangerous fugitive. Leads and tips have been pouring in–most of them after a $1 million reward was offered by the city of Los Angeles–but thus far nothing has panned out.

That all changed earlier today.

According to reports, Dorner broke into a house–presumably for supplies or weapons–and stole a Dodge truck to make his getaway. When he came across a police road block, he opened fire and injured two San Bernadino County deputies, both of whom were airlifted to a hospital later. Dorner then barricaded himself in a cabin and last I heard, the authorities had him surrounded.

Details are still sketchy, but I also heard that he came across a couple and tied them up. Since the latest news never mentioned a hostage crisis, though, I can only assume this happened when he broke into the house and stole that truck. He’s likely alone in the cabin.

And to quote the title of a great Daniel Day-Lewis film, There Will Be Blood.

Authorities search for the fugitive (courtesy of AP)

I’m no psychic, but if I had to guess, I’d say this stand-off will end with Dorner turning the gun on himself. Tragedies like these always seem to end this way.

Of course, I suppose the opposite could be true, too. Police continue to pump bullets into the cabin, bring in snipers to watch the windows and maybe even toss in some of those “tear gas canisters” made popular in Waco, Texas. You remember, right? The ones that supposedly malfunctioned and barbecued all those Branch Davidians? They would certainly do the trick here.

Please know that I was kidding just now.

In a perfect world, this would end with Dorner’s capture and imprisonment, as well as a thorough investigation of the LAPD and its practices. After all, corruption and racism in the department has already sparked riots during two different decades. Shouldn’t frequent reviews to ensure this never happens again be part of the process by now?

I truly hope that I’m wrong about this stand-off ending violently, but given how positive the news normally is, I’m not getting my hopes up. And since I’ve been writing this and not following the story more closely for the last hour, it’s possible that it’s already ended. Stay tuned to your local media for the latest breaking news.

And if you happen to be the religious type, please pray for a peaceful end to this sad and deadly situation. There will be blood, of course, but that doesn’t mean it has to be spilled today.