Former LAPD officer sought in Irvine slayings
A former Los Angeles police officer who wrote an online manifesto threatening to harm police officials and their families is wanted for allegedly killing the daughter of a former LAPD captain as well as the woman’s fiance.
Irvine police Wednesday night named Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33, as the suspect in the double slayings at the parking lot of an upscale Irvine apartment complex. Officials warned that Dorner is armed and dangerous. Law enforcement sources said police have placed security at the homes of L.A. police officials named in the manifesto and believe Dorner has numerous weapons.
In the online postings, Dorner specifically named the father of Monica Quan, the Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach who was found dead Sunday along with her fiance, Keith Lawrence.
Randy Quan, a retired L.A. police captain, was involved in the review process that ultimately led to Dorner’s dismissal.
Dorner, a former U.S. Navy reservist, was fired in 2008 for allegedly making false statements about his training officer.
Dorner said in his online postings that being a police officer had been his life’s ambition since he served in the police Explorer program. Now that that had been taken away from him, he said, he suffered from severe depression, and was filled with rage at the people who forced him from his job.
Dorner complained that Quan and others did not fairly represent him at the review hearing.
“Your lack of ethics and conspiring to wrong a just individual are over. Suppressing the truth will leave to deadly consequences for you and your family. There will be an element of surprise where you work, live, eat, and sleep,†he wrote, referring to Quan and several others.
“I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, I’m terminating yours,†he added.
Quan apparently served as Dorner’s representative, according to the manifesto. Of Quan, Dorner wrote: “He doesn’t work for you, your interest, or your name. He works for the department, period. His job is to protect the department from civil lawsuits being filed and their best interest which is the almighty dollar. His loyalty is to the department, not his client.â€
In the document, he threatens violence against other police officers.
“The violence of action will be high.... I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty,†Dorner wrote.
In his manifesto, Dorner seemed to allude to the Irvine slaying.
“I know most of you who personally know me are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am suspected of committing such horrendous murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of days,†he wrote.
“Unfortunately,†he said, “this is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name.â€
Quan, 28, and Lawrence, 27, had recently become engaged and moved into the condominium complex near Concordia University, where they had played basketball and received their degrees, authorities said. Lawrence was a campus officer at USC.
Police said they are searching for Dorner, whose last known address is in La Palma, and said he drives a blue 2005 Nissan Titan pickup truck with California license plate number 7X03191. He is described as a 6-foot-tall African American who weighs about 270 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes.
FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect area code in the phone number for the Irvine Police Department tip line; the correct number is (949) 724-7192.
At the news conference, Irvine Police Chief Dave Maggard asked anyone with information to call a tip line at (949) 724-7192. If someone spots Dorner, he implored them to call 911 immediately.
Late Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement regarding Dorner, saying it is working on the investigation with Irvine police.
The statement said the department is taking the threats Dorner made “very seriously,†and “is implementing all measures possible to ensure the safety of our LAPD personnel, their families and the Los Angeles Community.â€
The LAPD would only say that Dorner was employed as a police officer from Feb. 7, 2002, until Sept. 4, 2008, when his employment was terminated.
Dorner’s LAPD case began when he lodged a complaint against his field training officer, Sgt. Teresa Evans. He accused her of kicking a suspect named Christopher Gettler. The LAPD Board of Rights found that the complaint was false and terminated his employment for making false statements. He appealed the action.
He testified that he graduated from the Police Academy in February 2006 and left for a 13-month military deployment in November 2006.
“This is my last resort,†he wrote. “The LAPD has suppressed the truth and it has now led to deadly consequences.â€
Dorner said it was the LAPD’s fault that he lost his law enforcement and Navy careers, as well as his relationships with family and close friends.
“I lost everything,†he said, “because the LAPD took my name and knew I was innocent.â€
Times staff writers Ruben Vives, Joel Rubin and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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