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California Highway Patrol Remembers ‘Newhall Incident’ That Killed Four Santa Clarita Officers

The California Highway Patrol Newhall office, along with all CHP officers and other law enforcement members, remember four of their brothers killed during the infamous “Newhall Incident” 49 years ago.

On April 5, 1970, shortly before midnight, Walt Frago, Roger Gore, James Pence and George Alleyn were killed by Bobby Augusta Davis and Jack Twinning, a pair of career criminals, during a traffic stop.

The words Newhall and tragedy became forever synonymous on April 6, 1970. On that day, four young California Highway…

Posted by CHP – Newhall on Saturday, April 6, 2019

CHP Officer Rodger D. Gore (6600)

Davis and Twinning had met each other while in federal prison, and when the two were released they reunited in Houston Texas. Both Davis and Twinning decided to move out to the Los Angeles area but had trouble finding consistent work due to their criminal records.

After renting an apartment in Long Beach, the two friends encountered an armored truck which delivered cash to the Santa Anita Racetrack. They tracked the truck on its usual route and decided on a plan to rob the truck on a freeway ramp. But to accomplish their plan, they needed explosives.

The two decided to go look for explosives at a construction site north of Castaic, but were scared away by a family eying them on the side of the road in an overheated vehicle.

Related: CHP Newhall Officers Issue 20 Citations During Speed Enforcement Operation

The two suspects fled the scene, almost sideswiping a witness, who then tried to follow the car. When the suspects pulled a gun, the witness reported it to law enforcement officials.

CHP Officer Walter C. Frago (6573)

Patrolmen Gore and his partner, Frago, spotted the vehicle that the two suspects were driving and followed them as they exited the freeway onto Henry Mayo Drive, which is now Magic Mountain Parkway.

Patrolmen Pence and his partner, Alleyn, were driving in their patrol car northbound at Lyons Avenue, and picked up the radio call from Gore and Frago and prepared to back them up.

The Pontiac occupied by the two suspects pulled into the parking lot of J’s Restaurant and a Standard gas station, which sat on the corner of what is now The Old Road and Magic Mountain Parkway.

Gore exited the patrol car to apprehend the two suspects. While Gore was patting down Davis, Frago covered him with a shotgun.

Suddenly, Twinning exited the vehicle and fired two fatal .357 Magnum rounds from a Smith & Wesson Model 28 at Frago, striking him in the chest.

Distracted by the gunfire from the passenger, Gore was unable to react in time as Davis pulled out another Smith & Wesson revolver, shooting him twice at close range with .38 Special cartridges.

Frago and Gore died instantly.

“Newhall, 78-12! 11-99! Shots fired. J’s Restaurant parking lot.” Pence sent this desperate dispatch message as he and Alleyn pulled into the gas station driveway and saw their two comrades lying on the pavement.

Courtesy of CHP

CHP Officer James E. Pence (6885)

A 4 ½ minute gun battle took place between the suspects crouched behind the Pontiac and the two officers. Despite their best efforts, both Pence and Alleyn were shot and killed during the battle with the suspects.

Gary Dean Kness, a former U.S. Marine, was driving by J’s Restaurant on his way to work when he saw the gun battle taking place at the Standard gas station.

As Kness witnessed one of the wounded officers fall to the ground, Kness raced out of his car to the officer’s side, and tried to pull him out of the line of fire.

While helping the officer, Kness saw one of the suspects approaching him with a sawed-off shotgun.

Kness instinctively picked up the officer’s shotgun and attempted to fire at the suspect, but the gun did not fire. He then picked up Alleyn’s service revolver and was able to fire off a shot at the suspect, who took off and ran wounded from the gunshot.

Never before had so many officers been killed in one incident, and to this day remains one of the deadliest incidents in the history of California law enforcement.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the two suspects took off in opposite directions by foot, leading to a nine-hour search in two direction for the men.

George M. Alleyn (6290)

CHP Officer George M. Alleyn (6290)

Twinning ended up barricaded in the home of Steven and Betty Jean Hoag on Pico Canyon Road near the Old Road, taking Mr. Hoag hostage for several hours before eventually releasing him.

On the morning of April 6, Twinning shot himself to death with a weapon he had taken from Officer Frago as the home was breached by law enforcement.

Twinning had previously sworn that he would never return to prison.

Davis headed up San Francisquito Canyon Road, where he was captured by law enforcement.

He was eventually convicted on four counts of murder and sentenced to death by gas chamber, but his sentence was changed to life in prison when the California Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty.

Davis was incarcerated at several facilities, including Folsom State Prison, Pelican Bay State Prison, and finally Kern Valley Prison in August 2008.

Davis died in August 2009 of an apparent suicide.

Today, the building that once housed J’s Restaurant has been demolished to make way for a coffee shop and a fast food joint. The parking lot where four brave men lost their lives has been built over, covered up by a hotel.

Though the site of the “Newhall Incident” might be unrecognizable, the memory of the men who died in the line of duty is far from forgotten.

The 25th anniversary of the ‘Newhall Incident’ was observed in April, 1995, at the present Newhall Area office, just one mile north of the site, where a brick memorial pays tribute to Officers James Pence (6885), Roger Gore (6547), Walt Frago (6520) and George Alleyn (6290).

In 2008, a section of Interstate 5 between the Rye Canyon Road overpass and Magic Mountain Parkway was dedicated to the officers who died during the Newhall Incident.

Kness was honored twice by the CHP for his heroic efforts to save the officer, both on June 5, 1970, at the Memorial Wall dedication, and again in 2008.

Ed. Note: Some of the above information was provided to KHTS by the California Highway Patrol.


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California Highway Patrol Remembers ‘Newhall Incident’ That Killed Four Santa Clarita Officers

4 comments

  1. You are not alone! Wow!” Borrow your furry friend.

  2. God bless my Brothers, RIP prayers sent always’ D.R.Miller 64-65Germany 66-67Nam CTC-IV-68 West Los Angeles CHP Area#565 #6419.

  3. “Davis and Twinning had met each other while in federal prison, and when the two were released they reunited in Houston Texas. Both Davis and Twinning decided to move out to the Los Angeles area but had trouble finding consistent work due to their criminal records.”

    Wow!!! I’d have never dreamed that the EVIL committed by these two RECIDIVIST FELONS would be rationalized through the lens of politically correct activism!!!

  4. I just read about this tragedy recently as I was only 7 years old at the time.This truly was horrific.The only good thing that happened that night was the appearance of Gary Kness.I only wish that he could have driven by earlier and that there had been more rounds in the revolver so that he could have killed those two monsters.He and the four murdered officers are heroes.As for the two cop killers,they’re getting theirs right now in hell at the hands of the devil himself.

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About Jade Aubuchon

A Santa Clarita native, Jade has spent her whole life involved in community outreach. After graduating from Learning Post High in 2015, she went on to College of the Canyons to pursue a double major in English and Marketing. Jade spent several years as a ballroom dance performer for a local studio and has performed at public and private events throughout Santa Clarita. As KHTS Co-News Director Jade oversees the KHTS news team, which covers all the latest news impacting Santa Clarita. Along with covering and writing her own news stories, Jade can be heard broadcasting the daily local news every weekday morning and afternoon drive-time twice an hour on KHTS 98.1FM and AM-1220. Jade is also instrumental in reporting on-the-scene local emergencies, covering them on-air and via Facebook Live and YouTube. Another dimension to Jade’s on-air skills and writing are her regular political and celebrity interviews, including her bi-monthly interview with our Congressman Mike Garcia and many other local politicians and community leaders.