Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of assaulting another man in Aunu’u with a machete on Christmas day is now in custody and he’s being charged with a single count of 1st degree assault, a class A felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than ten nor more than thirty years.

Bail for Failautusi Sefo is set at $35,000.

According to the government, on Dec. 25, 2021, late evening, police officers were notified regarding an alleged assault from Aunu’u Island and that the suspect was at the Fagatogo Central Police Station. The suspect was later identified as Sefo.

Sefo was interviewed by investigators after he was Mirandized. According to Sefo, around 5p.m on Christmas day, he was walking with a friend when the victim came out of nowhere and grabbed his neck with one hand, and grabbed his beard with another hand and asked him what he was doing with his cousin.

Sefo told the victim that he was not doing anything and that they were just talking. The person who was talking with Sefo tried to separate Sefo and the victim, but in doing so, the victim pulled out some of Sefo’s facial hair making Sefo’s beard shorter. Sefo was embarrassed and then went home.

It was then that Sefo got a machete and wrapped it in an ie lavalava and fastened the ie lavalava containing the machete around his body (torso area). Sefo then went to hang out with his other friends and take his mind off of hurting the victim with the machete.

The victim allegedly went to where Sefo and his friends were and told Sefo that he would put a stop to his tough guy act. Sefo then asked the victim where he was headed and the victim replied that he was headed to the pulu tree near the wharf. Sefo then told the victim to go first and he would come after.

Sefo’s friend told Sefo not to go, but Sefo was already mad from what the victim did to him earlier; so he walked to where the victim was sitting and when he got close, he took out the machete from the ie lavalava and asked the victim what it was that he wanted.

Before Sefo finished his question, he swung the machete, hitting the victim. After the second swing which also hit the victim, the victim got up and ran. Sefo chased after the victim. The victim however tripped and fell, Sefo got close enough to the victim to punch him when the victim tried to sit up.

Sefo then heard people screaming and yelling, so he left the scene. He also threw the machete away into a bunch of bushes near a church in Aunu’u.