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Reuters / Patrick T. Fallon
Police opened fire on this blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck in Torrance, Calif. while searching for a similar vehicle driven by murder suspect and ex-cop Christopher Dorner.
Published 6:30 p.m. ET: They were in the wrong car at the wrong time.
Two women who were delivering newspapers in Torrance, Calif., early Thursday were shot by jittery Los Angeles police officers who mistakenly thought cop-hunting fugitive Christopher Dorner might be in their vehicle, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.
One was shot once and the other twice; both were were expected to survive. Police did not release their names.
REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon
Police detectives investigate a shooting scene involving a black Honda pickup truck in Torrance, Calif. Police opened fire on the vehicle in a case of mistaken identity while searching for former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner.
The LAPD detectives were in the neighborhood to watch over a home they believed Dorner might target. Hours earlier, the fired cop had allegedly ambushed officers in two other cities, killing one of them.
Across the region, cops on high alert were on the lookout for Dorner's dark-colored Nissan truck. In the predawn dark, they saw a blue pickup rolling through the streets with no headlights on.
It's unclear what happened next, but LAPD Chief Charlie Beck confirmed the officers fired on the vehicle, hitting the two occupants. He said it was a tragic case of "mistaken identity."
Less than a half-hour later, cops fired on another vehicle in Torrance, just two blocks away from the first scene, NBCLosAngeles.com reported. No one was injured in that vehicle, which was similar to Dorner's truck, police said.
Dorner, 33, remains at large. Police say he waging a vendetta against the LAPD for firing him, and has already murdered a retired captain's daughter and her fiance, along with the officer slain in Riverside. They say he detailed his plans and hit list in a twisted online manifesto titled "Last Resort."
Related:
Hunt on for ex-LAPD officer in revenge slayings
Leave a Comment:
They should be fired. This is ridiculous.
Zack. Yes you are correct, but they, the cops should also be tried in a court of law and do time for attempted Murder.
And I suppose the cops will get away with it.
The men in blue do not have a duty to "protect and to serve." That is a myth propagated by TV shows. Review the Supreme Court decision from 2005 if you don't believe it.
And I suppose Americans who are totally clueless to the extent of police brutality in this country will meekly take it. If you think shooting un-armed people in the back (Anaheim) are what cops are supposed to do then you'll welcome a police state with open arms. Good luck surviving it. If you're curious to know more, visit copblock dot org.
Good guys with guns? Maybe the NRA is wrong!
Who ever said cops were good guys, definitely not me, nor the NRA, being a police officer is a racket, they only have to show up to provide security for the detectives, give out speeding tickets to take in additional revenue from the general public in the form of penalties, i.e. another word for taxes. They take bribes, look the other way for fellow officers when they see brutality, excessive force, without due process. they enact their own brand of justice when the need arises.
The NRA is right about good guys. But you're wrong when you act as if these cops are good guys. They aren't. Most cops aren't good guys. They are thugs with badges.
When are people going to stop honoring these thugs? Don't clap for them in parades. Don't welcome them in your store. Get it?
Fienstien's clonies - if they can't confiscate your guns, they just going to shoot you. I see two more lawsuits, and at that rate, could be a dozen more before they actually get the right bad guy. well, no wonder california is bankrupt. talk about distribution of wealth, Obama is going to be praising california for all there efforts. bad thing is, when they find the right vehicle, it will probably be shooting back, and the jittery cops will probably be taken out. need more good guys with guns, not just cops.
When are people going to stop honoring these thugs? Don't clap for them in parades. Don't welcome them in your stores. Get it?
Another reason the FBI needs to STEP into this mess... And the LAPD need to STEP out of this and stay out... I think that guy would respect the National Guard if they was to be out looking for him.. Maybe the DOJ should turn the drones loose on this guy.. See what happens.......
just goes to show you how gutless the LAPD is they have no skill they are just killers with badges was it not just to long ago were they slammed a nurses face to the ground while her hands were cuffed behind her back and then high five each other I'm sorry but i hope this ex cop snuffs a couple of these LA douche bags even it out a little cleaned house by one of there own i think it is great and i believe any body that knows the LAPD knows they are lying sacks of $hit
It makes one think about the "baseless allegations" made by the real shooter they are actually looking for. Hmmm....maybe he was right about some things. Certainly he is wrong about what he has done today.
This is as indefensible. Open fire on a car without visual confirmation and without being threatened first? Unprofessional, indefensible and, well, stupid. This had better be their last day in uniform. Who would even want to visit that place when their cops are so horrific? It's not worth risking your life.
"Shoot first and ask questions later?" mentality is the order of the day! Yes Dorner is wrong for his killings and I believe it will stand up and admit that, but now the officers are going all out with assaults on people who do not remotely resemble him!Nothing professional about this at all! Before this is all over, there may be alot of job openings in LA...
What is wrong LAPD, Bunch of scared sissy's like the Fullerton cops that beat up a innocent bipolar man sitting on a bench, correction BEAT TO DEATH. This happen and has been going on for fifty years. We just have more communication now. What goes around comes around, bad Cops watch out one of your high fiver is now your enemy.
Are these Torrance cops outta their minds?! I lived in Torrance and was used to seeing paper deliveries about dawn where it was iffy whether you needed headlights on or not. Torrance is a relatively quiet burg in the South bay region of LA. I can't imagine so-called Assault weapons in the hands of citizens, acting so wantonly stupid....and these are trained Officers???? These yahoos ought to be fired immediately and the victims need to sue the city for all they're worth. What utter ignorance and moronic incompetence on the part of the Torrance P.D.
They need Axel Foley... NOW!
We got to have a serious talk 'bout the guns in your trunk.
"What do you boys do for fun around here?"
I think I may just head on over to Netflix and watch Beverly Hills Cop... this is just getting too sad.
Love Audie Murphy. His war record is unbelievable. Medal of Honor. Have you ever been to his Web site? Brings tears to my eyes every time I visit it. He was one of my Dad's favorite actors. Love his westerns.
He was a Southern boy... Texan... died in a plane crash just before his 46th birthday. Yeah, just 19 when he went to war and won those medals.
Now, the courts tell us a 19 year old is not old enough to be held responsible for his own actions. Go figure.
In honor of my Dad, think I'll make a trip down Memory Lane with his favorite Cowboys over the next few days.... Audie Murphy, Randolph Scott, Alan Ladd (Shane), Clint Eastwood (Rawhide reruns), a couple of the Duke.
He particularly liked Rio Bravo, where Dean Martin, Walter Brennan and Ricky Nelson were also in the cast.
As they say in Iowa, down from yonder where I don't come from, "Smart corn...dumb cops"! Cops are getting dumber, more agitated and more trigger happy every day. Weren't cops supposed to be the smart, strong, mature, calm ones...who brought law, order, security, peace and balance to our communities? We seem to have the reverse. Maybe Dorner the Wanted, as a Navy Seal, felt the police were so stupid that he decided to finish some of them off. Who knows?
The number of innocent civilians shot or/and killed by police, in places like LA, are huge. They shoot homeless people, obviously mentally ill people (who deserve compassion), drug addicts (who need help), they shoot people who are walking alone, walking at night, walking with a bunch of friends with dreadlocks and tattoos, they shoot people who challenge them when they make false arrests...they shoot and then think. That cannot be good for any community! I am not talking about all cops or all precincts. There are wonderful cops in LA....but there sure are some really really dumb ones too.
No wonder so many people are buying and owning guns...they don't trust the cop to come on time or do the right thing. That's sad man!
You get what you pay for. People complain Cops make more then 20 grand a year and scream greedy unions! Then on the other hand they expect all cops to be the most highly trained, super skilled, james bond caliber policemen. Can't have it both ways.
Some cops have gotten so dumb and so trigger happy they are scaring people as much as the so-called dangerous convicts and fugitives. Maybe this Droner got so tired of dumb arrogant cops that he decided to finish some of them. Who knows?
Lot of people I notice are not feeling sorry for the cops that much these days. That is so sad. All it takes are a few bad apples and the entire system gets judged.
In Florida, five years ago, cops looking for a fugitive in a white car of a certain make shot red, blue and green cars of the same make. How dumb is that? They shot the tires of a family visiting from Atlanta and drove them off the road. They nearly killed those innocent folks, and probably could have caused some major fatal accidents on the highway. The family had a three year old in the back who was inconsolable.
It is getting crazy and scary. I thought the police were supposed to be the smart, sensible, thoughtful, calm mature ones. What is going on?
It shows you cops are trigger happy anymore they don`t wound anyone they kill everyone instead of taking them to jail You can`t mistake 2 women for one man? I don`t thing this person is going to be delivering papers? I hope the cops DON`T cover this up? :( They ( cops) should Identified who they shoot not take pot shots at Innocent citizens And you wonder why cops don`t get any respect. When they do STUPID THINGS LIKE THIS!!!
I see you just registered. Hmmm... an new troll, maybe?
Good God........ even with this poor photo, I'm counting 38 rounds put in the back of that vehicle driven by two unarmed ladies delivering the morning paper. Looks like it was attacked by the Taliban. Glad I'm not a cop, lots of scores to settle with all that coppism. Unfortunately, there's going to be more..... and not just by Dorner.
Funny, I actually counted 38 too.
More good guys with guns...If those women just would have HAD GUNS they could have defended themselves! Derp..
I read all the post here and so there is not much more to add, there is no way that this could ever be justified as to their actions, no way shape or form. These are not good police officers, just thugs with guns. No professional police officer with the amount of training they receive would do this, they know better. Hang these bastards by the neck.
Had he not shot the young engaged couple, discussion on this thread would be more against the trigger happy incompetent cops than the original shooter.
And it isn't now?
LAPD spells trigger happy thugs.
"mistaken identity."
NO it was cold blooded attempted Murder..
What a twisted irony that this man's mental illness, stressors and psychotic break served to prove his point regarding the attitude of the LAPD far better than his years working within the system to uncover corruption and drag it into the light.
Whistle blowers are often victims of their own morality. In this case he will not get his day in court. Then things can go back to business as usual. No one from the inside to speak of brutality and the blue wall.
This is way over the top.This smacks of vigilante justice.Their job is to find this man,bring him in safely if possible so that he can be charged with the murders that he is being accused of.If found guilty his punishment is up to the courts not the cops.The Department of justice needs to do a thorough investigation of the LAPD. Gangs run rampant in L.A.and I am betting that besides these trigger happy cops that there is a plethora of them on the take.
The article neglects to mention that this man was fired for whistle-blowing on a superior.
Wow, I like that, both cases due to mistaken identity. What are those odds? To serve & protect. Yet we are worried about gun control. Oh, wait, I forgot. They have a badge & can pretty much shot anyone, including the innocent. Must really s%^&k to be hunted instead of being the hunter. It will be swept under the carpet. Maybe these paranoid cops should take a leave of absence before they take the random shooting scenerio to far & kill an innocent family. Dont sound like the PD is handling this problem in a professional way. More like hoodlums.