# Fired LAPD Cop On a Murderous Rampage in SoCal **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674 "2013-02-08T03:16:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/61 "2013-02-09T06:00:22Z")
> [@Pacific420](#): > > …it’s difficult to understand sometimes how some of these people even get hired in the first place. Starting with Dorner himself, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/62 "2013-02-09T07:09:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Arguing that the police opened fire on people they couldn’t see isn’t really helping to make the case in favor of the police opening fire, ya know. > [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I don’t think, “I couldn’t tell if the person was the suspect we were looking for, so I decided to shoot them,” is really a good justification here. Certainly they aren’t good justifications. My point is that depending on the circumstances (those I outlined, along with the fact that this guy was delibrately targeting the police), almost anybody put in that situation would have opened fire. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/63 "2013-02-09T07:10:45Z")
> [@the\_O](#): > > Has anybody here ever punched somebody? > > My point is: Sometimes words aren’t enough. There is a world of difference between punching someone and putting a bullet in their head. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/64 "2013-02-09T07:30:26Z")
dude, the police should use deadly force only as a last resort. responsible gun owners, especially the police of all people, are not supposed to shoot blind. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/65 "2013-02-09T07:43:02Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Certainly they aren’t good justifications. My point is that depending on the circumstances (those I outlined, along with the fact that this guy was delibrately targeting the police), almost anybody put in that situation would have opened fire. I don’t think you’ve made a reasonable or accurate assessment of what “almost anybody” would do, no matter whether it was “early morning” or some other time of day. Opening fire on a vehicle without knowing who is inside of it and without being in clear danger from said vehicle or it’s occupant(s) is inexcusably irresponsible, reckless, egregious behavior that deserves scorn, derision and a finding of criminal and civil culpability. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/66 "2013-02-09T11:44:28Z")
This is thin end of the wedgies I tells ya, When they outlaw all Blue Nissan Titans then only the bad guys will have them and then where will we be ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/67 "2013-02-09T13:38:14Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > Please don’t ever use this “adults are talking” phrase again. No matter how stupid the argument you are addressing is, you look even stupider by saying it. If this were the Pit, I’d have used more colorful invective. Feel better? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/68 "2013-02-09T13:41:15Z")
In 2009 when Maurice Clemmons went on a cop-killing spree in Washington State, the call came in while Seattle police were at the funeral of an officer who’d also been shot by a cop-targeting killer. You’d expect them to be on a hair trigger. But nobody in a similar vehicle was shot, and Clemmons was not executed but was killed by a cop who followed every policy procedure when dealing with an armed suspect. Maybe the cops in SoCal are a bunch of cowboys. ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/69 "2013-02-09T14:10:43Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > This is thin end of the wedgies I tells ya, > > When they outlaw all Blue Nissan Titans then only the bad guys will have them and then where will we be holy shit ---
**Author:** ![desertmonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@desertmonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desertmonk)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/70 "2013-02-09T14:27:56Z")
As far as whether his firing was justified, this link [http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/07/us/lapd-attacks-dorner/index.html?hpt=hp\_t1](http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/07/us/lapd-attacks-dorner/index.html?hpt=hp_t1) says he waited weeks to file a complaint and multiple eye witnesses contradicted his story. It says, in part, “The delay in reporting the alleged misconduct coupled with the witness’ statements irreparably destroy Dorner’s credibility, and bring into question his suitability for continued employment as a police officer”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/71 "2013-02-09T14:29:00Z")
> [@the\_O](#): > > Has anybody here ever punched somebody? > > My point is: Sometimes words aren’t enough. Never punched anybody-words seem to do the job for _me_. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/72 "2013-02-09T14:32:54Z")
> [@Pedro](#): > > The day of reckoning has come to the LAPD. On the other hand Dorner is not long for this world either. He knows he’s a dead man. > > Portraying him as crazy is simply dumb, for any meaningful definition of crazy. No; the day of reckoning has not come to the LAPD. Nor has Dorner done anything other than to reinforce their prejudices and given any white racists on the force one more reason to dismiss blacks. There will be no assumption here by any overseeing bodies that the LAPD was somehow responsible for a crazy guy who is so marginally competent mentally that he thinks killing [this couple,](http://mylifeofcrime.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/keith-lawrence-and-monica-quan.jpg) makes a statement about white racism in the LAPD. The guy is so stupid he can’t even pick a target that at least reflects the general demographic of the group he feels injured him. He’s so cowardly he can’t confront anyone head on. He’s so mentally incompetent he can’t take his grievance through a civil channel. And he’s so crazy he can’t think straight. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/73 "2013-02-09T14:35:30Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The cop’s BAR’s made sure they wouldn’t pull that crap in Louisiana. I saw the shot up car at a carnival. It looked like swiss cheese. The car was part of the carnival circuit for decades. [Clyde Barrow](http://texashideout.tripod.com/guns.html) had a BAR. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/74 "2013-02-09T14:45:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Never punched anybody-words seem to do the job for _me_. I’ve punched people. Sometimes I’ve regretted it, other times not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/75 "2013-02-09T14:58:06Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > No; the day of reckoning has not come to the LAPD. > > Nor has Dorner done anything other than to reinforce their prejudices and given any white racists on the force one more reason to dismiss blacks. > > There will be no assumption here by any overseeing bodies that the LAPD was somehow responsible for a crazy guy who is so marginally competent mentally that he thinks killing [this couple,](http://mylifeofcrime.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/keith-lawrence-and-monica-quan.jpg) makes a statement about white racism in the LAPD. > > The guy is so stupid he can’t even pick a target that at least reflects the general demographic of the group he feels injured him. He’s so cowardly he can’t confront anyone head on. He’s so mentally incompetent he can’t take his grievance through a civil channel. > > And he’s so crazy he can’t think straight. He’s waging asymmetric warfare. And winning so far. ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/76 "2013-02-09T15:28:09Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > No; the day of reckoning has not come to the LAPD. I find your analysis overly simplistic. I believe I made a factual statement above. Now on to my opinion: Can he come out of this alive to live a prosper and peaceful life? No. Should he? No. Can he attain his strategic objectives? Yes, maybe. I do think his death will be a necessary and just outcome of his murderous rampage. Is it business as usual for the LAPD? Yes indeed. Casualties are to be expected when you hide criminals behind the blue wall of silence. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/77 "2013-02-09T15:36:02Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > They’re NOT shooting random blue trucks. The two women who were injured were in a GRAY truck. Apparently it just _looked_ sort of blue in bad lighting, so they hosed it down just to be sure. > > That’s completely ridiculous and unacceptable, of course. I hope those involved are charged and convicted as expeditiously as possible. We have to send a strong message to those on a murderous rampage who threaten our families. The women claim that there was no warning; that the police just started shooting. Of course this can easily be shown or disproved using the police dashboard camera. (Unless it failed at an inopportune moment, wasn’t turned on at all, or the recording gets lost somewhere. Hey, it happens.) Let’s assume the women are correct, and that there were no warnings or no chances to surrender and that the police just opened fire. Legally, would that not be attempted murder by the LAPD officers? Even if the suspect _had_ been in the truck, their actions (again, assuming no warning was given) are a clear indication of intent. They did not intend to arrest the suspect, but intended to execute him. So when they shot these women, shouldn’t that result in an attempted murder charge? Also, since they were attempting to kill a suspect instead of arrest him, did they not violate the 5th Amendment and violate the women’s civil rights? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/78 "2013-02-09T15:44:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Legally, would that not be attempted murder by the LAPD officers? I’m sure there is a law protecting policemen from such charges, making it a police matter. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/79 "2013-02-09T16:59:46Z")
This doesn’t surprise me. :rolleyes: I checked twitter and the hashtags are real. So far its not a really big thing. Yet. But it will gain support with time. [http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2013/02/08/12476/lapd-manhunt-some-cheer-on-fugitive-christopher-do/](http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2013/02/08/12476/lapd-manhunt-some-cheer-on-fugitive-christopher-do/) > [@](#): > > None of this has dissuaded a group of ardent supporters who back Dorner for a variety of reasons. #GoDornerGo, #WeAreAllChrisDorner and other hashtags have been gaining momentum on Twitter. Some supporters appear to be motivated by personal issues; others express anti-hero worship and fugitive fandom to push specific agendas. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674/80 "2013-02-09T17:50:57Z")
Merging two topics about this subject. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fired-lapd-cop-on-a-murderous-rampage-in-socal/649674.md?page=5)