Thornton Edwards is a former Chief of Police in Santa Paula, CA. He is famous for his motorcycle ride the night in 1928 to warn residents of the Santa Clara River Valley of the impending flood waters sweeping west to the ocean from the failed St. Francis Dam, designed by infamous William Mulholland of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. More then 400 men, women, and children were killed in the flood. In one heroic effort that night Thornton chased curious onlookers off a bridge that collapsed moments later.