Before the shootout, Christopher Dorner allegedly broke into a cabin days ago in the San Bernardino Mountains, tied up the couple inside and held them hostage until he left Tuesday morning, a source said.

Then Dorner was allegedly spotted by state Fish and Wildlife officers in a white pickup truck, the source said. When they attempted to stop him, Dorner crashed the truck during a chase and exchanged gunfire with the officers as he fled into another cabin, where he was quickly surrounded by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies, the source said.

Dorner is now surrounded by police inside a Big Bear area cabin after allegedly getting into a gun battle that left two San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies wounded.

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The source said one deputy was hit as Dorner fired out of the cabin and a second was injured when Dorner exited the back of the cabin, deployed a smoke bomb and opened fire again in an apparent attempt to flee. Dorner was driven back inside the cabin, the source said.

The extent of the deputies’ injuries was unknown. There was initial confusion about where a helicopter should land to evacuate the injured officers. Deputies used their own smoke bombs to provide enough cover to carry the wounded to a waiting pickup truck that took them to the waiting helicopter.

Officers have crisscrossed California for days pursuing the more than 1,000 tips that poured in about Dorner's possible whereabouts — including efforts in Tijuana, Mexico, San Diego County and Big Bear — and serving warrants at homes in Las Vegas and Point Loma.

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Statewide alerts were issued in California and Nevada, and border authorities were alerted. The Transportation Security Administration also had issued an alert urging pilots and other aircraft operators to keep an eye out for Dorner.