-“...holed up east of Los Angeles in the rugged and snowy San Bernardino Mountains”
Why do they think that. Why would he torch his truck...
His truck had a broken axle.
He was a service road use by local ski resorts for lift maintenance. .
His family had a cabin in Big Bear and he knew the area.
They found two guns left in the truck. AR15 is what I think they said.
This area is also a popular summer resort and about half the cabins are empty this time of year.
He burnt the truck to hide evidence that he could not carry with him when his truck unexpectedly broke it’s axle.
I guessing that they think it was unexpected because of the guns he had to leave.
Other evidence to think he is not in the area.
There are foot trails in the area including the PCT Pacific Crest Trail that he could hike off the mountain on. He had time to hike down before the heavy snow started.
There would be many other people on the trails this time of year, but enough that he would be seen. He left the two gun in the truck so he could hike down the mountain.
This part what I heard on local radio and part living in the area. I hiked have other trails near this area but not in Big Bear area.
In the 60’s and early 70’s I spent many weekends there as a Boy Scout (as well as Joshua Tree) and we did a family Christmas there in 1973, IIRC.
The thing I still don’t understand is the torching of the truck. What evidence could he have possibly hid by burning the truck? If its still got a vin, the police can easily figure out the truck is connected to him. So why torch it and draw alot of attention to it?
Once a local bank was robbed...and I swear every cop in the area converged on the bank. They hung around for hours. I chuckled because there was one place in the world that the robber certainly was not....and that is where the cops all were. I wonder if this guy used that tendency to his advantage....and torched the truck after he figured out a quick path out of there.