"An act of domestic terrorism": the case of Christopher Dorner
Nine days in February 2013 were a harrowing time for law enforcement agencies in Southern California. Christopher Jordan Dorner, a former police officer and naval reservist, carried out a revenge-driven rampage against the Los Angeles Police Department that traversed five counties and directly invol...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Routledge international handbook of policing crises and emergencies
Year: 2025, Pages: 426-440 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | Nine days in February 2013 were a harrowing time for law enforcement agencies in Southern California. Christopher Jordan Dorner, a former police officer and naval reservist, carried out a revenge-driven rampage against the Los Angeles Police Department that traversed five counties and directly involved policing agencies. What began as an execution-style murder of a young woman and her fiancé in Orange County ended in the suicide of Dorner in the mountains of San Bernardino. Through his rambling online ‘manifesto’ released after the murders, Dorner explained his motives and threatened the lives of law enforcement officers responsible for his firing from LAPD in 2009. Taken as a credible threat, the LAPD rushed to protect 77 families in a 2,000 mi2 area and to take measures to secure its police stations and property. Law enforcement agencies across the Southland were alerted and became directly involved in the race to find Dorner. During the nine-day period, the media and the nation intensely watched as the drama played out. Police agencies gave chase from Los Angeles County to Riverside and finally into the mountains of San Bernardino County. Dorner’s vendetta resulted in the deaths of the daughter and fiancé of a former LAPD captain, a deputy sheriff, and police officer, and wounding of three officers and one deputy sheriff. It involved two carjackings, the kidnapping of the owners of a condominium unit, and the engagement of hundreds of officers and deputies from across the region. LAPD chief Charlie Beck said at that time, ‘This is an act of domestic terrorism. He has targeted those that we entrust to protect the public’. This chapter tells the story of this sentinel event. Using newspaper articles, official documents from the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies, an after-action report by the National Police Foundation, and our personal experiences, we provide an overview of who was involved, how events transpired, and what was learned from the ordeal. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 439-440 |
| ISBN: | 9781032207872 |
