INDIANAPOLIS -
A retired local FBI agent who has tracked down terrorists worldwide says those behind the badge in the Los Angeles area are facing special safety challenges as they search for an ex-officer accused of going on a shooting spree. Christopher Dorner is accused of killing three people as revenge killings for getting fired from the police department.
Dorner's burned pickup truck was found near Big Bear Mountain east of Los Angeles. Investigators found footprints nearby but never found Dorner. Nearby schools didn't take any chances and didn't open. Officers across California are on alert.
Several Indianapolis Police officers have been called into question in potentially career-breaking cases with their reputations on the line. The most notable case is that of David Bisard, who has yet to go to trial for an August 2010 crash that left a man dead and two others critically injured. In other cases, Officer David Butler is awaiting his fate with IMPD after being convicted of robbery and misconduct for shaking down drivers during bogus traffic stops. IMPD Officer Jerry Piland was cleared of excessive force allegations by a Police Merit Board.
But experts say they've never seen anything like the California case.
"We don't know what he's going to do. We know what he's capable of doing," said a spokeswoman for Los Angeles Police.
"This is one of your own that's decided to wage war if you will, against you," said John Gray, former FBI agent.
Retired FBI Special Agent John Gray teaches active shooter classes for the State Department, and was part of the team that nabbed the Unabomber. Now in Indianapolis, he's keeping up with developments in Los Angeles where his fellow officers are on high alert searching for ex-cop Christopher Dorner who allegedly went on a shooting rampage in protest of his termination from the LAPD.
"Basically anyone with a gun and a badge is probably a target for him," said Gray.
Dorner is a trained police officer and Navy reserve with an arsenal of high powered assault rifles. Gray says his specialized training now presents a special challenge in the manhunt.
"Which makes him extremely dangerous, because he knows the tactics. He knows the officers routines, probably has done his research on where they live," said Gray.
Two civilians, 28-year-old Monica Quan, the daughter of one of Dorner's former captains, and her fiancee, 27-year-old Keith Lawrence, are among the casualties. Dorner believes that Quan's father represented him unfairly at his tribunal. Gray says shooters often justify the loss of innocent lives as collateral damage.
"I would predict that he would be involved with a last stand with police once located, or there will be a suicide on his part. It's not going to end well," said Gray.
Police officers and members of the military must pass psychological exams as part of their application process. Gray says those tests generally give law enforcement and military recruiters a good idea of possible tendencies towards violence, but they are not foolproof. He says there is counseling available even after a termination for officers who want it and urges anyone going through a difficult work separation to get help.
Police officers and members of the military must pass psychological exams as part of their application process.
Christopher Dorner is accused of killing three people as revenge killings for getting fired from the police department.
Retired FBI Special Agent John Gray teaches active shooter classes for the State Department, and was part of the team that nabbed the Unabomber.
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