2 HELD FOLLOWING ASSAULT\Gang rivalry linked to chase, 5-car crash.

Byline: Dan Page Daily News Staff Writer

In the latest in a string of incidents involving two gangs in the city, police say two suspects were arrested late Monday on suspicion of attacking their rivals by throwing a metal hand tool at a car window.

Police said the incident, which occurred on Avenida de los Arboles at Oakbrook Drive earlier in the day, involved members of the same gangs that participated in a chase the night before that ended with a five-car collision that injured seven. One motorist who was injured in the accident but not involved in the chase remained hospitalized in good condition Tuesday with head injuries.

Sheriff's Sgt. Mike De Los Santos of the city's gang unit said that both incidents were part of an continuing retaliatory rivalry between the two gangs.

"It's come to light because it's involved other people than just gang members. The traffic accidents, . . . there were six cars that were involved in this thing. Three of them were gang members and three of them were non," De Los Santos said.

"Fortunately, here (in Thousand Oaks), it's not that frequent where innocent people are getting hurt by violence from the gang members."

The latest incident occurred about 2 p.m. Monday as members of one gang were driving eastbound on Avenida de los Arboles and were passed by members of the rival gang who stopped in front of the first car, according to police.

A juvenile jumped out of the car in front and threw a metal hand tool at the other vehicle in an attempt to injure the occupants, according to De Los Santos. The tool hit a window post and the victim drove off, he said.

"There are a lot of these little incidents that occur among gang members," De Los Santos said. "We just don't find out about it."

Witnesses contacted police and gave investigators enough information to locate the victims and identify the suspects.

The suspects were arrested about 9 p.m. while driving eastbound on the Ronald Reagan Freeway at Yosemite Avenue in Simi Valley, after being followed from a Thousand Oaks residence, according to police.

Dwain Allen Deeder, 21, and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime and throwing a substance at a vehicle with intent to commit injury, police said.

Detectives also are investigating a drive-by shooting on Saturday night that was reported in the same general area outside the home of a gang member. De Los Santos said police believe the incident involved the same two gangs.

"We know that one round was fired," he said. "They (the victims) are being totally uncooperative."

An investigation into the chase that ended in the five-car collision Sunday night at Moorpark Road and Avenida de los Arboles is continuing, however, no arrests have been made according to police. Detectives are searching for the occupants of a sixth vehicle they believe was involved in the chase but not the collision.

De Los Santos said the two gangs involved in the series of incidents include members between the ages of 14 to 25 of various ethnic and economic backgrounds. Both gangs are primarily involved in retaliatory actions against each other and drug dealing largely among themselves, De Los Santos said.

"With a couple of arrests they tend to lay low for a while," the sergeant said. "That's the purpose of really pushing hard on trying to make an arrest as soon as we can. It tends to back them off."

Ventura County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest and criminal complaint in any of these incidents. Crime Stoppers can be reached at (805) 494-TALK. Callers may remain anonymous.