[piasa]

1. He's not playing with a full deck, so it is to be expected he will do illogical things.

Or

2. He was using it as bait to draw resources and attention to that area and away from other areas and routes.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

2. He was using it as bait to draw resources and attention to that area and away from other areas and routes.

3. He's sitting inside his warm and cozy and well-stocked prepper bunker in the mountains watching TV and laughing at the cops tromping around in the cold, wet snow.

[MasterGunner01]

“1. He's not playing with a full deck, so it is to be expected he will do illogical things.
Or
2. He was using it as bait to draw resources and attention to that area and away from other areas and routes.”

I'll go with choice No. 2. Just because Chris Dorner is a paranoid psychotic does not mean he's stupid. He's planned this for over four years and has thought out many scenarios. He's got safe houses and caches all over the area. Plus, he's got the tacit approval of a lot of Los Angelinos who look at the LAPD as thugs with badges. Dorner has the ability to lie dormant until the cops are forced by budget costs to cut back their resources hunting him. Then he can go back to hunting them.