Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 6, 2024, a female individual contacted the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) to report an alleged assault. The suspect was later arrested for assaulting his minor son and wife.

He was charged with:

Count 1 & 2: Assault in the Third Degree (As a C Misd.) (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300 but not less than $150, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 3: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300 but not less than $150, or both imprisonment and fine.

The defendant’s bail was set at $1,000.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identity of the minor.)

According to the affidavit, on November 6th, at approximately 7:00 p.m., police officers responded to a call from Faga’itua, and then at 7:04 p.m., Central Dispatcher called the same unit to respond to an assault in Pago Pago.

After receiving information from dispatch, the officers contacted the reporter for further details and updates on the situation on the suspect’s whereabouts. The reporter stated that the suspect was intoxicated when he assaulted his wife (victim) and his child. The suspect also damaged the side mirror of their vehicle.

Upon arriving close to the victim and the reporter’s house, the officers noticed a male individual matching the description that was given by the reporter sitting at the bus stop in Pago that was close to the Pago Plaza building.

The police unit stopped by the bus stop, and the male individual was identified as the suspect when he responded to his name.

At around 7:34 p.m., the suspect was arrested and escorted inside the unit. Upon arresting the suspect, the officers detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath and clothing.

When the officers arrived at the victims’ and the reporter’s house, the officers saw a female individual walking down the stairs from her house. The officers exited their vehicle and approached the female who was later identified as the reporter. The reporter gave the same information that she stated earlier on the phone and she pointed toward the vehicle that was damaged.

The officers asked the reporter if she could escort them to the victims so that they could assess the victims’ injuries and ask for their information and statements.

Upon arrival at the victims’ residence, the officers met with the victim #1 (suspect’s wife) who verbally stated that this is not the first time that the suspect committed these acts while intoxicated.

The reporter and another younger sibling heard the suspect and victim were arguing inside their room. They noticed that the argument was escalating so they had to intervene. When they opened the door, they witnessed the victim standing between the suspect and her son while holding the suspect back.

Furthermore, the victim stated that the suspect slapped her hands, shoved her off, and walked towards his son and slapped him multiple times in the facial area.

The reporter and her sister then stopped the suspect and told him to leave the house or they would contact the police. The suspect laughed and walked away while yelling profanities in Samoan.

Soon after, the family heard a loud banging noise and decided to check it out. They saw the suspect walking away and noticed the side mirror of their vehicle was in pieces on the ground.

As one of the officers was taking the victim’s statement, the other officer checked the victim’s son for visible injuries and saw redness on his facial area.

Upon arrival at the Central Station, the suspect was Mirandized but the suspect was too intoxicated to understand his rights. The suspect was then booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 46-year-old citizen of Samoa.