Hi °C | Lo °C A homicidal fugitive former police officer, who has declared "war" on his former colleagues, claimed that he was a victim of racism while serving in the Los Angeles police department.
A manhunt was continuing across California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico for Christopher Dorner (33), pictured, a former Navy reserve lieutenant and American college footballer. Dorner, a trained marksman, is suspected of killing three people, including a police officer, in shootings that began last weekend.
Swat teams and helicopters fanned out across Big Bear Mountain, a wooded skiing area 80 miles from Los Angeles, where his burned out Nissan Titan pick-up truck was found.
Officers spent a night combing snowy hillsides and searching abandoned cabins. They feared Dorner could be trying to lure them into a trap. He has claimed to be armed with an arsenal including a sniper rifle and a surface-to-air missile. Police said the burnt-out truck could also be a diversion.
Charlie Beck, chief of LAPD, told a press conference: "He knows what he's doing. We trained him? ... he's also a member of the armed forces. It is extremely worrisome and scary."
It also emerged that Dorner sent a package to CNN, on February 1. It contained a coin, of a type often given to officers, with bullet holes in it. A note said: "I never lie."
Sacked
That was a reference to Dorner having been sacked from the LAPD in 2008. He was accused of making false statements about a female officer whom he had accused of kicking a schizophrenic prisoner.
In a "manifesto" posted online, Dorner said his murderous actions were a "last resort" for "substantial change to occur within the LAPD".
Dorner claimed he was racially abused, first at school, and then by two fellow officers. He claimed they were only given "slap on the wrist" 22-day suspensions. He said the force had "gotten worse" since the Rodney King beating in 1991, and the Rampart scandal, which involved corruption in the anti-gang unit in the late 1990s. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
Irish Independent
