Deep Valley Bloods

The Deep Valley Bloods (DVB), also known as the West Side Deep Valley Bloods (WSDVB), is a criminal street gang mostly composed of Samoan-Americans, with a few African-American, located in the Camp Pendleton’s Back Gate area of Mesa Margarita, in the Oceanside, neighborhood of Northeast, San Diego County, California. The Deep Valley Bloods, have been on the police radar, since the early 1980’s.

They originated as the Valley Boys, by the mid-1980s, they became known as the Deep Valley Bloods. Due to constant feud with the Deep Valley Crips, who already had established a presence in the neighborhood of Mesa Margarita.

The Deep Valley Bloods, consist of two cliques known as the “500 Block” and the “600 Block” (Arthur Avenue). They also share the Mesa Margarita community, with the Deep Valley Crips, a predominantly black gang and the Mesa Locos, a Latino gang. The Oceanside police department, estimate there are approximately 70-100 active members who commit first degree and federal crimes to benefit the gang.

Allies & Rivals

The Deep Valley Bloods are allies of the Krook City Bloods, another predominately Samoan street gang located in the Mid-Valley area of Oceanside. They mainly feuded with African-Americans street gangs, due to the majority of the black gangs in Oceanside, are affiliated with crips, such as the Deep Valley Crips and the Insane Crips as well as the Crook Mobster Gangsters (CMG).

The Deep Valley Bloods arch enemies are the Deep Valley Crips, this rivalry is responsible for a large portion of the gang-related shootings in Oceanside. Which, escalated after the shooting death of a 32-year-old Samoan female, who had family members affiliated with the Deep Valley Bloods. The Deep Valley Bloods also feud with the Varrio Fallbrook, a Latino gang.

In The News

The Deep Valley Bloods have a bitter rivalry with the Deep Valley Crips, which intensified with the murder of 16-year-old Rusty Seau, in 2005. Rusty Seau also known as Bigg Swigg, was believed by police to be an active member of the Deep Valley Bloods. On June 9, 2005, Rusty was shot in the back near Gold Drive and Elaine Avenue, after a gang-fight.

In 2002, prior to the shooting Rusty Seau, his 32-year-old aunt (Pearl Seau) who was a caretaker was gunned-down in the garage of her apartment on Vandegrift Blvd. Pearl Seau and her fiance, were seated at a table in their garage, looking over mail. When gunfire erupted, Pearl Seau rose from her seat, in an attempt to avoid being shot, but was struck by two bullets, once in her lower back and once in her upper back.

After the shooting, she immediately collapsed on the floor of her garage. In a panic, her fiance raced to call 911, but Pearl Seau, died right before his eyes, moments after help arrived. Robert McIntosh, a member of the Deep Valley Crips was arrested and sentenced to 50 years to life for the killing of Pearl Seua. Rusty Seau, was also shot in the back on Vandegrift Boulevard, where he collapsed and died.

Members of the Deep Valley Bloods, paid a visit to the gravesite of their friend Rusty Seau, only to find the gravesite had been burned and desecrated. This made the gang furious, who vowed vengeance through retaliation. In gang culture, this type of act, is one of the ultimate signs of disrespect and rarely goes unpunished. In other words, these types of wounds are so severe that any type of reconcile or peace, in the future is almost next to none.

On June 28, 2005, 19 days later, the Deep Valley Bloods retaliated with vengeance by killing 18-year-old Joaquin Pruitt and wounding 19-year-old Sean Oates, who were believed to be affiliated with the Deep Vally Crips. Situe Toluao and Peni Siulua, known members of the Deep Valley Bloods, were charged with first-degree murder of Joaquin Pruitt and attempted murder of Sean Oates, both were sentenced to life in prison.

Pearl Seau and her nephew Rusty Seau, were both relatives of Junior Seau, former American professional football player Junior Seau, who was found dead by his girlfriend at his Oceanside home, with a gunshot wound to the chest in 2012.

In Dec, 2006, 25-year-old Officer Dan Bessant, was assisting a fellow officer with a traffic stop in the 500 Block of Arthur Avenue near Gold Drive, when 17-year-old Meki Gaono, a known gang member of the Deep Valley Bloods, fired a .22-caliber rifle from behind a brick mailbox in front of a cohort’s home about a half-block away. Officer Bessant was flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital, where he died from the injury.

Meki Gaonowas and Penifoti Taeotui, were arrested and charged with the murder of Dan Bessant. In 2009, Gaono was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Penifoti Taeotui, was sentenced to 56 years in prison for two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a consecutive term of life without parole for one count of murder.

Penifoti Taeotui, who was 18 years-old at the time os the shooting, fired multiple shots in the direction of Officer Bessant, but no one was injured. Despite, Meki Gaono, firing the fatal shot, Penifoti Taeotui still received life, the maximum time in prison. There was also a third suspect, who was acquitted of all charges, the trio were members of the Deep Valley Bloods.

On Aug 10, 2010, 150 law enforcement officers from numerous agencies participated in a series of raids on homes in the area near Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue, in Oceanside. The massive gang swept was dubbed as “Operation Blood Hound” Which led to multiple arrests. Local residents, especially the Samoan community were outraged by the raids and believe the gang sweeps were retaliation for the murder of two cops who were killed by gang members, in the line of duty.

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Deep Valley Bloods

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