Report: Body of fugitive Christopher Dorner found in burned out cabin

A body believed to be that of fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner was found in the cabin he barricaded himself in that went up in flames, CBS News reported.

Earlier, reporters at the scene said police had put their weapons down, suggesting an end to the stand-off, the Examiner reported.

Authorities watched as ammunition exploded and smoke billowed from the cabin in Big Bear on Tuesday night, Fox News reported.

The Guardian has obtained an audio recording of the police scanner that indicates that the police may have started the fire deliberately. According to the audio, a male voice says, "we're gonna go, er, we're gonna go forward with the plan, with er, the burn. We want it, er, like we talked about."

Though the Guardian cannot independently verify that the audio recording is genuine, another video from KCLA TV's coverage of the gun battle includes the sound of a policeman shouting that they were going to "burn him out."

It was a dramatic end to a massive manhunt which culminated in a shoot-out Tuesday afternoon with police. During the gun battle, Dorner killed a San Bernadino sheriff's deputy and wounded another before barricading himself in the cabin, in the San Bernadino mountains.

The injured officer was undergoing surgery Tuesday night.

Dorner, who vowed not to be taken alive, had been the target of a massive manhunt throughout California since last Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

The afternoon gun battle in which hundreds of rounds were exchanged began after Dorner broke into a home, tied up a couple and held them hostage before fleeing with their white pickup truck, authorities said, the LA Times reported.

He was soon spotted by authorities and a chase ensued, with gunfire exchanged at a rapid rate.

Dorner crashed his vehicle and took refuge in a nearby cabin, sources said.

He then began firing out of the cabin, shooting dead one officer and injuring a second before deploying a smoke bomb at a team of officers.

Sources told the LA Times he then barricaded himself inside the cabin, which hours later was engulfed in flames, CBS News tweeted. 

Fire trucks were heading to the scene to put out the flames, according to CBS News. 

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, LAPD spokesman Andrew Smith called on Dorner to end the bloodshed.

“If he's watching this, the message…is: Enough is enough, it's time to turn yourself in,” he said.

“It’s time for this incident to be over."

Authorities believe Dorner had access to television coverage and hoped he heard their appeal.

They asked media not to broadcast images of police surrounding the cabin or tactical response teams as it could jeopardise the investigation, ABC News reported.

Before barricading himself in the cabin, Dorner exchanged gunfire with police Tuesday afternoon. 

Police sealed all roads going into the area and imposed a no-fly zone above the cabin, which is in a wooded area that has received several inches of snow in recent days,scanner traffic said.

The shooting took place in the Big Bear Valley area two hours outside Los Angeles, and reportedly followed Dorner’s burglary of a home after he tied up a couple and stealing their car, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It is believed that one of them was able to get away and called 911. 

The suspect, believed to be Dorner, fled the scene in a stolen car, the Associated Press reported. He reportedly crashed the car and continued to flee on foot, when shots were fired, ABC News reported. 

Authorities responded to the location near Glass Road and Highway 38, and shots were exchanged, according to NBC Local News. 

San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies, US Marshals Service deputies, and FBI agents are all involved in the manhunt in Big Bear Valley, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram.

Dorner was initially believed to have fled to Mexico, and was listed as one of the most wanted people in Tijuana, prompting a hotel search, ABC News reported. 

"The search for Christopher Dorner will continue until he has been apprehended or it has been determined that he is no longer on the mountain," San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said Tuesday.

Dorner, 33, was discharged from the Los Angeles Police Department, and his rampage is believed to be an act of revenge as outlined in the manifesto he wrote. 

He has been the target of a manhunt across California since he fled last Wednesday, and at least 30 law enforcement officials continue to track him.

It is believed he has been aided in his evasion of the law by an associate known only as “J.Y.,” the LA Times reported.

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