California Manhunt Ends; Obama's Road Show; Dorner's Internet Fan Club; Hero Helps Obama Send Gun Message
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: new information coming in, including the police radio conversations during what we presume were the final moments for a killer ex-cop. Also, thousands of passengers remain at sea on a ship with no engine, no air conditioning, no hot water, and overflowing sewage. So when will all of this end? Plus, the debate about whether a thirsty senator's awkward moment helps or hurts his chances to some day perhaps become president of the United States. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. The drone of bagpipes, the beat of drums and a flag-draped coffin are all part of a funeral for a victim of an ex-cop's killing rampage. Riverside police officer Michael Crain was ambushed and killed a week ago tomorrow. He was 34 years old. He had been with the Riverside Police Department for 11 years. Crain's one of four people who died during Christopher Dorner's 10-day of vendetta of revenge for his firing from the Los Angeles police force. As for Dorner himself, investigators are piecing together the story of what exactly happened on Tuesday, the day they are still assuming was their last day alive. Our Brian Todd is in the town of Big Bear Lake, California.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than two hours' drive from where Christopher Dorner's troubles began, law enforcement officials say the former L.A. policeman terrorized a rustic mountain community in his final hours. Near Big Bear Lake, Rick Heltebrake says he was carjacked by Dorner who he says came out of the trees and confronted him as he checked on a property. Heltebrake spoke to NBC's "Today Show."</s>RICK HELTEBRAKE, VICTIM: He came up to me with his gun pointed at me and I stopped my truck, put it in park, raised my hands and he said, I don't want to hurt you. Just get out and start walking up the road and take your dog, which is what I did.</s>TODD: A California fish and wildlife official tells us they believe Dorner was driving a stolen car when he shot at two of their wardens as he passed them, damaging their vehicle. Others in this area also crossed Dorner's path. (on camera): It was in this group of houses that Dorner at one point encountered a couple cleaning one of the houses. He tied them up and stole their car. This was right across the street from one of the law enforcement command posts and a very popular ski resort where people are still feeling the anxiety over what happened. (voice-over): At Bear Mountain Resort, where hundreds of skiers and snowboarders gather every day, one of the managers says people had been living in fear for days knowing that Dorner was in the area.</s>KARL KLOUZER, BEAR MOUNTAIN RESORT: Some of the employees that work around here, they were feeling the vibration. It was scaring them. They had their guns loaded sleeping -- you know, sleeping with their guns.</s>TODD: Kaitlyn Bibbens had come to celebrate her 17th birthday on the slopes. She says just as the news broke that Dorner was moving close by...</s>KAITLYN BIBBENS, SNOWBOARDER: I found out when my mom actually called me crying coming to get me. But I don't know. It was kind of scary knowing that he was just right there.</s>TODD: Her mother, Pam, drove to Big Bear frantic to get her daughter out. (on camera): What was going through your mind at the time you were driving up here?</s>PAM BIBBENS, MOTHER: To get here as quick as possible and not cry because I knew how scared I was. And when I called them, they were really scared because they had seen all of the activity so close to the slope.</s>TODD (voice-over): Carter Evans, a reporter for a local CBS News affiliate, was just a few dozen yards away when the final gunfight broke out. His station got exclusive video. We spoke to Evans' wife, whose friends were calling and texting during the standoff.</s>COURTNEY FRIEL, WIFE OF REPORTER: It was really scary. I was frozen in the kitchen for a good 30 minutes and just trying to get in touch with him. I was thinking, oh, my gosh, am I going to be a single mom?</s>BLITZER: That report from our Brian Todd who's in Bear Lake right now. We will be joined by him life late every. A big part of the story is the bravery of the countless law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to catch Christopher Dorner. As Brian just reported, the California Fish and Wildlife wardens were the first to put their lives in the line of fire yesterday. That would be on Tuesday. The agency spokesman Andrew Hughan is joining us now from Sacramento. Andrew, thanks very much for coming in.</s>ANDREW HUGHAN, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE: Good afternoon, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Have you spoken with the wardens who were involved with this encounter with Dorner yesterday? I have. I spoke to them last night.</s>BLITZER: What did they say? What was it like? Can you walk us through what they told you?</s>HUGHAN: Right. They were very amped up and excited, as you can imagine. The one warden who did the shooting was very excited in a wound-up way, but he said two things to me that I have thought about a lot in the last two days. First, he said, for a few seconds this was the Wild Wild West, and then he thought about it for a second and he said, I'm grateful and thankful to be alive.</s>BLITZER: How were these wardens able to spot Dorner? What did they say?</s>HUGHAN: Well, they are excellent officers and they are trained to do this kind of thing all the time. This is unusual, but not out of their lane, and they were in the right place at the right time in a position to help. They recognized -- they had great situational awareness to be able to recognize Mr. Dorner, even in a vehicle that they didn't think he was going to be in. They made direct eye contact and they engaged.</s>BLITZER: And they had no doubt. This was a life-and-death moment for them. What happened then? How did they get out of that death moment, shall we say?</s>HUGHAN: Well, Wolf, there are actually two -- two recognitions, two engagements, and two pursuits, but the second one, you know, he looked right at it, and what was happening was Mr. Dorner was shooting at our game warden and put five to six shells into a Fish and Game Chevy Silverado pickup truck and our warden escaped uninjured. It was a harrowing moment for him, for sure.</s>BLITZER: "The L.A. Times," as you know, is reporting that one of the wardens, a 35-year-old, is a former Marine. Is that right?</s>HUGHAN: He is a former Marine and he was very proud of that fact last night.</s>BLITZER: So he was obviously well trained to deal with a situation like this. End result, what happened? How did he get away? Were your wardens armed?</s>HUGHAN: Absolutely they are armed.</s>BLITZER: What happened? How was Dorner able to escape?</s>HUGHAN: Well, what happened is, they were in a head-on situation. Mr. Dorner shot five to six rounds into the vehicle. The wardens immediately stopped. He opened the door, he took his P-308 rifle off his lap and pointed it at Mr. Dorner as he was driving away and unloaded his weapon with 15 to 20 rounds at the evading vehicle.</s>BLITZER: And obviously Dorner got away. What did they do next? I assume they got in touch with other law enforcement authorities to begin this manhunt.</s>HUGHAN: Right. You know, when I was in high school, a police officer told me, you can never outrun a radio and that's exactly what they did. They picked up the radio and Mr. Dorner rode right into the waiting arms of the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.</s>BLITZER: How unusual is it for your wardens over at Fish and Wildlife agency to be engaged in a firefight like this?</s>HUGHAN: It is a little unusual. We have had actually three of these kind of similar situations in the last year or so, but they train for this and they hope it never happens, but if they do, they are ready. They weren't outgunned, they weren't out-thought, or they were not outfought.</s>BLITZER: And they are OK now, your wardens, the ones who engaged Dorner, they are OK?</s>HUGHAN: Yes. We had six wardens on the scene and all of them are fine and checked clear.</s>BLITZER: That's good to hear. Thanks very much, Andrew Hughan, for joining us and thank your wardens for us as well. Obviously, what they did helped set in motion the final chapter in this horrible, horrible massacre. Appreciate it very much. Thank you.</s>HUGHAN: You're welcome.</s>BLITZER: Later tonight, by the way, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN, Anderson Cooper will devote his entire hour to the frenzied manhunt, the final shoot-out and to the victims of the L.A. cop, Christopher Dorner. That's coming up 8:00 p.m. Eastern later tonight. Other news we're following, let's turn to Washington. Today's pushback to President Obama's emotional call for new restrictions on gun ownership. Last night's cheers and even some tears are given way to questions about the unintended consequences of government overreach. What's going on? Our chief -- our CNN national political correspondent, Jim Acosta, is here. You have been looking at the reaction since the speech. What's going on?</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this was a big moment last night. And it may be moving votes. What was widely seen as an emotional high point for the president during his State of the Union address may have also been a turning point in the debate over gun control.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): It was a moment carefully orchestrated for maximum emotional impact. As former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the parents of slain teenager Hadiya Pendleton and dozens of other victims of gun violence looked on, President Obama called for a vote.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They deserve a vote.</s>OBAMA: Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.</s>OBAMA: The families of Newtown deserve a vote.</s>OBAMA: The families of Aurora deserve a vote.</s>ACOSTA: One day later, there are indications on Capitol Hill the president may get it.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We don't need a cheerleader.</s>ACOSTA: Even as one of Mr. Obama's top Republican critics, Senator Lindsey Graham, made his case that the current system of background checks needs to be strengthened before it's expanded, he answered the president's call. (on camera): Will you personally block a vote in the Senate on gun control measures?</s>GRAHAM: No. Let's vote. No, I don't disagree with the president. Have a debate. Let's vote. Let's find something we can agree on.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): The reaction was the same from West Virginia Democratic Senator and gun enthusiast Joe Manchin. (on camera): You won't block a vote on...</s>SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I won't block a vote on anything, whether I support it or not.</s>ACOSTA: That doesn't mean that the National Rifle Association will stop fighting.</s>DAVID KEENE, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: The president is trying to use emotion to force things through before they have been rationally debated.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama gives a good speech.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): The NRA released a new ad pointing to an unpublished study on preventing gun violence from the government's National Institute of Justice.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An assault weapons ban is unlikely to have an impact on gun violence.</s>ACOSTA: The study goes to question proposals for universal background checks, saying the effectiveness of those checks may depend on requiring gun registration, a major turnoff for owners of firearms. When asked about the study, a Justice Department official told CNN it's not a public document and had no further comment. As for the victims' families, the debate over gun control has quickly turned many of them into political experts on the issue. Consider this man, whose sister was gunned down last year, telling a senator which measure is likely to get a vote.</s>ELVIN DANIEL, BROTHER OF SHOOTING VICTIM: Universal background check, without a doubt. And I am a gun owner. I am an NRA member. I'm an avid hunter. But I truly believe...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... ammunition, as well as...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One step at a time.</s>ACOSTA: One step at a time. As for the NRA, the gun lobby's outspoken CEO, Wayne LaPierre, is planning to hold a news conference tomorrow in then to respond to the State of the Union speech. As for that Justice Department study, the NRA is not saying how it got it -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Do we expect there will be separate votes on various elements of gun control, one on the magazines, one on assault-type weapons, one on universal background checks, or are they going to try to wrap it up into some comprehensive piece of legislation?</s>ACOSTA: I think that's uncertain at this point. I did talk to somebody inside Harry Reid's office, the senator majority leader, who is key in all of this. He is a big gun enthusiast and what that office is saying right now is that whatever coming out of the Judiciary Committee -- and they are looking at an assault-weapons ban, they're looking at those high-capacity magazines and universal background checks -- will get a vote. They're saying there will be a vote on some of these measures. There will be amendments allowed. Those amendments will get votes. But as to the president and what he had to say last night, he called for a vote and it looks like he will get them.</s>BLITZER: He might get separate votes, but he's going to get...</s>ACOSTA: He is going to get votes.</s>BLITZER: Yes. We will see what he can achieve on these sensitive issues. Jim Acosta, thanks very much. President Obama hit the road today. See whether his State of the Union to-do list is playing better there than it did on Capitol Hill. Also, another day on a hot ship overflowing with raw sewage. Is the end now in sight?