Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On April 14, 2025, a woman called the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) to report that she was assaulted by an unknown woman over an alleged Facebook post, while she was getting her lunch, Amataga Liusamoa was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $500.

According to the court affidavit, on Apr. 14th, around 1:20 p.m., the victim contacted the FPS to report that a woman had assaulted her at the fast food restaurant behind the Executive Office Building (EOB) in Utulei.

Police officers proceeded to serve the call and they met up with a woman standing outside of the restaurant, who identified herself as Amataga Liusamoa, and she pointed to a woman inside the restaurant as the one who called the police.

The officers entered the restaurant and saw a woman sitting at the table, who identified herself as the reporter/ victim. The victim appeared emotional and she was crying nonstop.

The officers interviewed the victim and suspect at the scene while one of the officers obtained the security footage from the restaurant.

Both parties were transported to the FPS for further investigation.

According to the victim’s statement, around 1:00 p.m., she was ordering her food at the restaurant. While she was getting her order, a lady asked her if she was Jacinta and she replied “yes” and resumed what she was doing. The victim continued that the suspect then asked her if she knew her and she said “no”.

At that time, the suspect walked up to her and called her names and proceeded to punch her multiple times. The victim stated that the suspect “kept going back and forth” — the suspect would walk away and then come back and assault her.

Bystanders inside the restaurant intervened and separated them and that’s when she was able to call the police for assistance.

The victim also claimed that the suspect yelled profanities at her and continued to call her names.

The victim sustained a minor injury, with red marks on the left side of her cheek.

At about 2:22 p.m., Liusamoa was Mirandized to which she understood and agreed to make a statement.

According to the suspect’s verbal statement, the main reason she confronted the victim was because of a Facebook post that she made about her and her family. The suspect stated that she asked the victim if she remembered her and what she had posted about her on her Facebook post, but the victim stated “she would keep running her mouth and she didn’t care about her.”

The suspect admitted that she got frustrated with how the victim was talking to her, and that she then walked up to her and slapped and punched her multiple times.

The suspect was booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility for confinement to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

Police officers personally viewed the footage and saw the suspect punch the victim and instigate the whole incident. The victim did not hit or attempt to hit the suspect back.

The defendant is identified as a 29-year-old U.S National.