Christopher Dorner—the ex-Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of killing three people, including a Riverside police officer—visited a South Bay Sport Chalet and purchased scuba gear, TMZ reported Monday night.
The surveillance footage posted on TMZ shows Dorner, 33, walking into the Sport Chalet on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance at 9:21 p.m. Feb. 1—two days before the first two victims were found slain in Irvine.
- Related: Timeline of Christopher Dorner Manhunt
In the video, Dorner brings two yellow oxygen tanks to the scuba section, where they were apparently refilled. He returns with the yellow tanks and a large, black scuba tank; pays the cashier at the counter; and leaves at 9:38 p.m.
TMZ reported that law-enforcement officials have confirmed the man in the video is Dorner and that the U.S. Marshals retrieved a copy of the surveillance footage from the sports equipment retailer on Sunday.
The scuba gear may be significant because authorities believe Dorner—who according to TMZ was a member of a Naval undersea warfare unit—tried to steal a boat in San Diego on Feb. 6; however, a rope got caught in the propeller.
Until this video was released, Dorner's only publicly known connection to the South Bay was that one the targets named in his manifesto lives in Torrance. LAPD officers protecting the target opened fire on two women delivering newspapers in the first of two shootings in the area Thursday morning.
There is a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Dorner. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact a special joint task force at 213-486-6860 or 800-222-8477. Those who see Dorner should call 911 and not approach him, as he is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.
Donors to the $1 million reward fund for information leading to Dorner's arrest and conviction include police officer associations in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Irvine, Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and entertainment conglomerate AEG contributed, as did United Firefighters of Los Angeles, the Association of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies, the FBI, First Watch, the city and county of Riverside and six anonymous donors, officials said.
Related:
- Did Dorner Have an Accomplice?
- LAPD Issues All-Clear in Reported Northridge Dorner Sighting [Video]
- Manifesto by Manhunt Target Christopher Dorner
- UPDATE: $1M Reward Offered for Dorner's Arrest
- Police: Shootings Case of Mistaken Identity
