Santa Clarita Valley History In Pictures
> LAW ENFORCEMENT   > NEWHALL

Lancaster Bank Robbers Lead Posse to Newhall; 1 Dead.



Click to enlarge.

Kern Deputies in Chase for Bandits Near Newhall; One Robber is Killed.

Two of the four men who are said to have held up the Antelope Valley bank at Lancaster yesterday morning are in the custody of the authorities at Newhall and another is dead, according to a long distance call received at the sheriff's office this morning from Deputy Sheriff Dick Ashe, who is at Newhall with Sheriff Cas Walser, Undersheriff Charles Smith and Deputy Phil Fickert from Kern county.

The Kern county posse took up the chase of the bandits yesterday as soon as word was sent out that the bank had been robbed of $2,800. With posses from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties they are now gathered at Newhall, from whence the search for the remaining bandit is being conducted.

Phones News Here

Deputy Ashe telephoned that one of the bandits was killed and another one captured last night, while the third man was captured this morning.

A Newhall man is credited by Ashe with catching the third member of the alleged bandit gang. The dead man, Roco Fernandez, was mortally wounded by a member of the citizen's posse organized soon after the bank was held up. The other suspect, captured last night during the gun battle in which Fernandez was shot, gave his name as Antonio Rojas. Fernandez is said to have made a dying statement admitting he took part in the holdup and implicating Antonio Pietro, Rojas and Fernando Montejo.

Refuses to Talk

According to Deputy Sheriff Ashe, when he telephoned this morning, the third man captured had refused to talk; giving his name as Antonio Pietro, Ashe said that when Fernandez was shot last night he instantly threw down his rifle and ran toward the officers with his hands in the air.

He also said that $900 was taken from the body of Fernandez and that $200 more had been found in an overcoat, abandoned on the mountain back of Newhall. Another of the captured men had $110 on his person, Ashe declared.

The Kern county posse will not be home until the search is given up for the fourth man.


Newspaper clipping courtesy of Lauren Parker.
CRIME BLOTTER

thumbnail

Rancho Camulos Foreman Hog-tied by Horse Thieves 1853

thumbnail

Newhall Petroleum Co.: Oil Stock Fraud 1876

thumbnail

3-Fingered Bob Slays Acton Rival 1889

thumbnail

Death in Newhall Pass 1906

thumbnail

Unruly Acton Boys 1909

thumbnail

Aqueduct Worker Beaten, Robbed by Cohort 1910

thumbnail

Trouble With Wobblies 1916

thumbnail

$20 Fine for CCW 1921

thumbnail

Piru Bank Robbery, Kidnapping 1922

thumbnail

Manhunt 1924

thumbnail

Rancher Wade Albert Horton Slain 1930

thumbnail

Frances Walker Slaying 1935

thumbnail

More: Frances Walker Slaying 1935

thumbnail

German Enemy Aliens Arrested in Castaic, 12/8/1941

thumbnail

Hart 'Aces' Gang Busted 1950

thumbnail

KKK Rally 1966

thumbnail

Alpha Beta 1983

thumbnail

Las Vegas Shooting 2017

RETURN TO TOP ]   RETURN TO MAIN INDEX ]   PHOTO CREDITS ]   BIBLIOGRAPHY ]   BOOKS FOR SALE ]
SCVHistory.com is another service of SCVTV, a 501c3 Nonprofit • Site contents ©SCVTV
The site owner makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to digitized images. However, these images are intended for Personal or Research use only. Any other kind of use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the site owner. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.