2 Youths Held in Slaying of Union Oil Official

Two juveniles, including a 14-year-old boy, were booked for investigation of murder in Sunday’s shooting death of a Union Oil Co. official, Claremont police said Tuesday.

Taken into custody Monday afternoon were a 17-year-old boy, the alleged gunman; and a 14-year-old boy, Detective Mike Cushman said. Their names cannot be released because they are juveniles.

The boys, both residents of adjacent Pomona, were taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey. Cushman said the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office today.

The boys were arrested while police investigated an unrelated vandalism incident involving a group of youths throwing rocks at a vacant house on South Mountain Avenue, a few blocks from the murder scene.

While questioning the boys, police determined that two of them had knowledge of the Sunday night shooting of Union Oil employee Robert Vance Lockhart, Cushman said.

Lockhart, 51, of Midland, Tex., was shot once in the chest with a rifle outside a Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge on South Indian Hill Boulevard.

He had been staying at the motel with his wife while attending a company business seminar. They were returning to their room when Lockhart went back to the car to retrieve some items. His wife, who had proceeded to the room, became suspicious and went outside, where she found her husband lying beside the car.

‘It Kind of Snowballed’

Police say the shooting stemmed from a robbery attempt that Lockhart resisted. No items were taken.