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LAPD manhunt: Police serve search warrant at alleged cop killer Christopher Dorner's mom's house
Police remove evidence from Christopher Jordan Dorner's residence in La Palma, Calif. on February 8th, 2013.
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Mae Ryan/KPCC
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A U.S. Marshall waits outside of Christopher Jordan Dorner's residence in La Palma, Calif. on February 8th, 2013.
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Mae Ryan/KPCC
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Investigators emerge from Dorner's mother's home in La Palma with bags full of evidence on Friday afternoon as authorities carry out a search warrant.
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Erika Aguilar/KPCC
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An officer stands guard outside Christopher Dorner's La Palma home as authorities carry out a search warrant on Friday morning.
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Molly Peterson/KPCC
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Lt. Bill Whalen of the Irvine Police Department speaks to the media as authorities search Christopher Dorner's La Palma home for evidence on Friday morning.
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Molly Peterson/KPCC
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A van from the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory is parked outside Christopher Dorner's La Palma home on Friday morning as a search warrant takes place.
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Molly Peterson/KPCC
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Members of the media wait across the street from Christopher Dorner's La Palma home on Friday morning, where authorities are carrying out a search warrant in connection to a homicide investigation.
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Molly Peterson/KPCC
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Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory officers enter Christopher Dorner's La Palma home on Friday morning for a search warrant in connection to a homicide investigation.
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Molly Peterson/KPCC
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UPDATE 6:29 p.m. One of Christopher Dorner's mom's neighbors, Claire Plambeck, 22, was watching the search.
“We just came down came down to see what’s going on because we talk to this guy all the time," Plambeck said. “What you see on TV, his big smile and stuff, is what we’re used to seeing, so it’s definitely bizarre.”
Plambeck said cops have been in and out of the neighborhood, checking out Dorner’s mom’s house since about Tuesday or Wednesday. Plambeck said it ramped up Wednesday because that’s when police identified Dorner as the suspect in the Irvine homicides.
Dorner came back from Las Vegas and moved back to La Palma for a couple of weeks, according to Plambeck. He'd moved to Vegas a couple of years ago, she said.
Plambeck said that, when she got into a horrible car accident, he would always come by her house and check to see if she was OK. “Always so friendly," Plambeck said.
She said that Dorner went to Kennedy High School, which is down the street. She’s lived in the neighborhood since 2001.
— Erika Aguilar
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UPDATE 6:07 p.m. About 12 investigators searched through Christopher Dorner's mom's house Friday, according to Irvine Police Lt. Bill Whalen.
“They were prepared that he might be here,” Whalen said. Detectives were very cautious when they entered the house, Whalen said.
“We did come out here a few days ago. And now the timing was right for a very thorough and systematic search."
Whalen's mother and sister were at the house during the search.
Whalen wouldn't talk about what evidence was taken from the house or if there were weapons found.
The license plates on the cars parked in the garage at the home were removed. News media who had been at the house yesterday say the plates had been removed by the time they got there at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
The Irvine Police Department was the lead agency on the search warrant, assisted by the U.S. Marshals and the regional computer lab, which is overseen by the FBI. There were also detectives from LAPD and the Riverside Police Department there.
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— Erika Aguilar
Earlier:
Law enforcement officers served a search warrant Friday on a home in La Palma where Christopher Dorner’s mother lives. Dorner is being sought in a large manhunt — he’s suspected of killing a Riverside police officer and a couple in Irvine earlier this week.
La Palma Police, U.S. Marshals and Irvine Police were working together at the site. Lieutenant Bill Whalen of the Irvine Police spoke to KPCC about the search.
“We initially served the warrant, secured the house, made sure Dorner wasn’t present," Whalen said. "And now we’re going [on] a very exhaustive search inside the residence for any evidence that might lead us to Dorner. Or that might be evidence related to the crimes he’s alleged to have committed."
Whalen said the team includes computer forensic experts. The officers talked to the mother earlier this week, Whalen said, but he wouldn’t expand on why authorities decided to serve the search warrant today.
Timeline: The search for Christopher Dorner
Irvine police had their weapons drawn as it lightly rained. Investigators and marshals wore body armor.
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Investigators were going in and out of the house and were taking items out of the home.
— Molly Peterson
If you are nearby, please share what you see with us in the comments, on Twitter (mention @kpcc and #LAPDmanhunt) or on our Facebook page.
This story has been updated.
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