LAPD: Dorner May Have Visited Manhattan Beach Hotel

Police are investigating whether triple-murder suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner stayed at a hotel in Manhattan Beach last week.

With a $1 million reward being offered for information leading to his capture and conviction, tips have been pouring in. Authorities have received more than 1,000 clues and tips on Dorner's possible whereabouts, up from about 250 before Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the reward Sunday, said LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman at a briefing Tuesday morning at LAPD headquarters. "We will investigate all investigative leads," said Neiman, adding, "with 1,000 clues or tips, you have to prioritize."

Neiman said investigators were trying to determine if Dorner was at a Manhattan Beach hotel last week, and they also were trying to determine if a man depicted in security video buying Scuba equipment on Feb. 1 at a Torrance sporting goods store was Dorner or someone who looked like him.

LAPD would not comment on the Manhattan Beach hotel mentioned in the tip, how the tip was received, or when Dorner may have stayed there.

Neiman said Monday that hundreds of local, state and federal investigators have been sorting through clues in their search for Dorner. A reported sighting at a Northridge home-improvement store on Sunday led to an hours-long search. On Monday, a man matching Dorner's description was questioned by police as he exited a KFC restaurant in Tarzana.

The hunt for Dorner has spread across the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican authorities got a tip that the 33-year-old fired Los Angeles Police Department officer, who is suspected of killing two people in Irvine and a police officer in Riverside, had been spotted at the Tapatio Hotel in Tijuana, but when they raided it Monday night, he was not there. U.S. Customs and Border Protection was expected to increase its scrutiny of vehicles traveling into Mexico amid the burgeoning search for Dorner. 

Dorner was charged with capital murder Monday by Riverside County prosecutors for the Thursday morning fatal shooting of Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain. He was also charged with three counts of attempted murder for the shooting of Crain's partner and a shooting attack on two LAPD officers in Corona. One of the LAPD officers suffered a graze wound in that shooting, which occurred about 15-20 minutes before Crain and his partner were attacked, police said.

Neiman urged anyone with information on Dorner's possible whereabouts to call (213) 486-6860, or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS. However, anyone seeing Dorner should call 911 immediately, Neiman said. 

Patch editors John Schreiber and Sara Fay contributed to this report.