x
Breaking News
More () »

False sightings of Christopher Dorner reported across San Diego

Mike Tinsley couldn't believe his eyes when he saw dozens of officers roaring up to the Point Loma Naval Base entrance off Harbor Drive Thursday morning.

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Mike Tinsley couldn't believe his eyes when he saw dozens of officers roaring up to the Point Loma Naval Base entrance off Harbor Drive Thursday morning.

"Well it was quiet and then I heard two sirens and they turned into the ASW base, and then they started coming from every direction," Tinsley said.

The Lakeside man had no idea that law enforcement officials from every conceivable agency had received reports that triple murder suspect Christopher Dorner may have been sighted at the Navy Gateway Inn and Suites, which sits just inside base gates.

"Apparently Mr. Dorner checked into the Navy Gateway Inn and Suites on February 5. He was supposed to check out on the 6th, and did not physically check out," Cmdr. Brad Fagan said.

The cops were called because an active duty member thought he saw somebody that met Dorner's general description.

With guns drawn, they surrounded a man in a rental car in the hotel's parking lot. But it turned out to be a false sighting. It was a 36-year-old Portland man who had just flown in with his boss and found himself in the crosshairs of well-armed officers and agents.

"We are advising all agencies to be on the lookout for the suspect, and that's why you saw the response here today," SDPD Lt. Joseph Ramos said.

Authorities also surrounded a Holiday Inn on North Harbor Driver for several minutes after they received a call that a man on the property matched that of the fugitive suspect. It also turned out to be a false sighting.

Still, even with all of the calls, authorities were not taking any chances.

"You need to have everybody -- not just law enforcement, but the community -- to kind of take a breath before they make a 911 call. Take a look and see if it really does resemble the suspect. Because until the suspect is found we're probably going to get a pretty large response," Ramos said.

The lockdown was lifted around noon, and traffic in and out of the base entrance returned to normal.

We are not expecting any more briefings from Navy officials regarding Thursday's incident.

Before You Leave, Check This Out