Christopher Dorner Vanished, May Have Very Powerful Weapons

Feb. 8, 2013— -- Alleged cop-killer Christopher Dorner has vanished.

More than 24 hours after Dorner allegedly shot and killed one police officer and injured two others, police say they have no idea where the former cop with a vendetta against police has gone.

"He could be anywhere at this point," Sheriff John McMahon of the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department said today.

Police are also trying to determine whether Dorner left his burning car on the side of Big Bear Mountain and earlier dropped his badge in San Diego as diversionary tactics to distract police.

Wherever Dorner is, law enforcement officials fear that he may be heavily armed, possibly with a powerful .50 caliber rifle, which shoots five-inch long bullets that can pierce bullet proof vests and vehicles, as well as a shoulder-fired missile launcher.

Dorner, 33, a former Los Angeles police officer and Navy reservist, sparked a region-wide dragnet after allegedly killing two civilians on Sunday and releasing an angry "manifesto" airing grievances against the LAPD and warning of coming violence toward cops.

In the manifesto Dorner published online, he threatened at least 12 people by name, along with their families.

"Your lack of ethics and conspiring to wrong a just individual are over. Suppressing the truth will lead to deadly consequences for you and your family," Dorner wrote in his manifesto.

The last clue to Dorner's possible whereabouts was when cops found his burning car on hillside of Big Bear Mountain Thursday, but the trail of footsteps in the snow quickly went cold.

"We followed the tracks around through the forest. We haven't found any new information to suggest that the tracks are going to any specific area. They did lead around in that wooded area where the truck was found, and we continued to follow them until we lost them where the ground got frozen," Sheriff John McMahon of the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department said today.

Dozens of law enforcement officers searched Dorner's home in La Palma, Calif., for clues to his whereabouts today.

Overnight, more than 100 heavily armed SWAT team members and police officers combed Big Bear Mountain in armored vehicles and snow cats and searched homes in the area without any sign of Dorner.

Cops are currently searching more than 200 empty cabins on the mountain to ensure that Dorner is not hiding out in them.

"We're going to continue searching until either we discover that he left the mountain or we find him, one of the two," McMahon said.

The Sheriff's office was forced to ground its helicopters, which are equipped with thermal imaging and could help pinpoint someone on the mountain, because of the snowy weather.

How the Manhunt Started: The Search for Alleged Cop-Killer Chris Dorner

Chris Dorner's Manifesto: Read His Allegations Against the LAPD

Law enforcement officials are "deeply concerned" about Dorner's knowledge of police tactics that he learned while working for the LAPD from 2005 to 2008, sources tell ABC News.

In his lengthy, rage-filled "manifesto," Dorner said he would use his knowledge of police tactics to wage "unconventional and asymetrical warfare to those in the LAPD uniform whether on or off duty."

Dorner claimed to have a list of all LAPD undercover vehicles as well as extensive knowledge of procedures for hunting down suspects. Police are worried Dorner could use both to avoid capture and continue his violence against law enforcement.

Dorner allegedly began his killing spree over the weekend, when a popular assistant women's college basketball coach, Monica Quan, 28, and her fiancé, Keith Lawrence, 27, were found dead in their car in Irvine, Calif., Sunday.

Police say Dorner bore a grudge against Quan's father, retired LAPD Capt. Randy Quan, for his firing from the department. The deaths launched a manhunt for Dorner as police discovered his online manifesto.

Suspect Cop Killer Is Believed to Have Very Powerful Weapons

On Wednesday night, around 10 p.m., Dorner attempted to hijack a yacht at a San Diego harbor to flee to Mexico, according to police. But he aborted the attempt, tied up the yacht owner, and fled. His wallet and LAPD badge were found in San Diego, police said.

PHOTOS: Former LAPD Officer Suspected in Shootings

After the aborting hijacking, Dorner was spotted by LAPD officers in Riverside, Calif., around 1:25 a.m. on Thursday as they were guarding at a home of one of his named targets in their patrol vehicle. They chased Dorner and exchanged gunfire with him. Dorner injured one officer.

Around 20 minutes later, Dorner pulled up across from a Riverside police department patrol car at a stop light and fired his rifle at them, killing one officer and injuring another before fleeing.

The shootings initiated a widespread response from southern California law enforcement agencies who stationed heavily armed guards outside of police departments and the homes of Dorner's possible targets, stopped answering low level 911 calls, and pulled motorcycle officers off of their bikes in order to protect them.

Dorner just finished his military career as a lieutenant last Friday. His only overseas deployment was to a Navy base in Bahrain. He received a Rifle Marksman Ribbon and Pistol Expert Medal, meaning he received superior scores when he tested at the range.

Police described Dorner as black, 6-feet tall and weighing 270 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.