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As he fled in the Nissan, Dorner managed to elude authorities for a time by pulling behind two school buses and making a quick turn onto a mountain road. But he crashed the car there and had to steal another.
That’s when he confronted Rick Heltebrake, a ranger who takes care of a Boy Scout camp nearby, and took his pickup. Heltebrake was checking the perimeter of the camp for anything out of the ordinary when he saw Dorner emerge from behind some trees. He was dressed in military fatigues and holding a semi-automatic-style rifle.
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Couple says Dorner tied them up, stole car
A Southern California couple says Christopher Dorner tied them up in their mountain cabin and stole their car hours before his presumed death in a fiery confrontation with law enforcement.
Jim and Karen Reynolds say Dorner confronted them with a gun Tuesday at the condo, which is a short walk from the manhunt command post.
Authorities had hunted the ex-Los Angeles police officer for days in the San Bernardino Mountains east of LA.
The Reynolds say they thought Dorner would shoot them, even though he repeatedly said he just wanted to clear his name and wouldn’t hurt them.
He bound and gagged the couple and stole their car, then Karen Reynolds managed to call 911.
Dorner is believed to have died hours later in a burning cabin.
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"I don’t want to hurt you. Start walking and take your dog," Heltebrake recalled Dorner saying as he pointed the gun at him. He fled with his 3-year-old Dalmatian, Suni, and immediately called police, who quickly found the suspect again.
This time he opened fire as he drove past a car carrying game wardens looking for him. One of them got out of his own vehicle and returned fire from his high-powered, semi-automatic rifle but apparently missed.
Out of options after crashing the pickup, the driver made a break for a cabin and barricaded himself inside, where he made his last stand.
Dorner’s mother released a family statement to the FOX affiliate in Los Angeles disavowing her son’s actions in his final weeks.
"It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we express our deepest sympathies and condolences to anyone that suffered losses or injuries resulting from Christopher’s actions. We do not condone Christopher’s actions," said the statement Nancy Dorner gave to KTTV-TV. "The family has no further comments and ask that our privacy be respected during this difficult time."
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah MacKay was killed during that final gunfight and another deputy was wounded.
MacKay, a detective who had been with the department 15 years, had a wife, 7-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son, sheriff’s officials said. He had spoken to AP just last weekend, saying he hoped Dorner could be taken into custody without any more violence.
"You just never know if the guy’s going to pop out or where he’s going to pop out," MacKay told an AP reporter. "We’re hoping this comes to a close without any more casualties."
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If Dorner’s body is identified, he’ll be the final casualty.
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Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in San Bernardino and John Rogers in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
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