Last Sightings of Dorner
A couple said that they were bound and gagged by suspected murderer Christopher Dorner in their Big Bear condo just hours before he was believed to have died.
It was originally reported that Dorner held two female housekeepers hostage and stole their purple Nissan on Tuesday. But, Jim and Karen Reynolds told reporters Wednesday night that they discovered a man matching the former LAPD officer's description as they arrived to their cabin around noon for cleaning.
The Reynolds explained that Dorner had admitted he had been inside the cabin since as early as Friday. Apparently he had watched the couple do yard work from inside the home before fleeing to sleep elsewhere.
Jim Reynolds told the LATimes that the suspect reassured them that he wouldn't hurt them.
"He tried to calm us down, saying very frequently, he would not kill us." He then said that he didn't have a problem with them; instead he just wanted "to clear [his] name."
The couple said the fugitive ziptied their legs and arms, stuffed a small towel in their mouths then covered their heads with pillowcases.
Once Dorner left in their car, the couple somehow managed to release themselves and call authorities for help around 12:20 p.m..
Soon after, the Department of Fish and Wildlife officers spotted the stolen Nissan along Hiwghway 38. Then, a chase ensued where Dorner is suspected of crashing the Nissan, carjacking a silver pickup truck and firing gunshots towards officers. The suspect then barricaded himself in a cabin and engaged in a gun battle with officers, killing a San Bernardino officer.
Around 4:00 p.m., police used a heavily armed vehicle to tear down the walls of the cabin and then fired tear gas canisters. Twenty minutes later, the cabin was on fire and it was reported that a single gunshot was heard right before the cabin burned down.
The identity of the burned body inside the cabin has not been officially identified as Dorner.
