Boyfriend who tries to control his girlfriend allegedly assaults her
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 28, 2024, a woman walked into the Tafuna Police Substation to report an alleged assault by her boyfriend (suspect).
The suspect was later apprehended and charged with Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), 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 $2,000.
According to the affidavit, on October 28th, at approximately 4:41 p.m., a female individual (later identified as the victim) walked into the TPS to report an alleged assault by her boyfriend, Ioane Faatau. The victim alleged that the suspect assaulted her in front of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC).
Upon arrival at the TPS, the victim was assisted by the authorities where she provided both verbal and written statements regarding the assault.
According to the victim, she was at home, and she called the suspect to ask if he could lend her money for a taxi to get to her class at the college. After the phone call, the victim explained that she made her way to the store when the suspect called her back and told her that he had just passed her and said that he would pick her up using his personal vehicle.
The victim stated that when she got into the suspect’s vehicle, he started asking her questions about what she had been doing and where she had been earlier that day. The suspect told her that “he has been calling her multiple times while showing what she described as intense curiosity in her activities.”
Moreover, after questioning her, the suspect asked to see her phone. The victim said “she didn’t want to hand him her phone at first especially because she asked to see his phone, he had said no.” However, after the suspect kept asking, she finally agreed and they exchanged phones.
While the suspect had her phone, he started swearing at her and calling her names continuously. The victim stated that he called her names the entire time until they arrived at the college.
Once they reached the college, the victim claimed that the suspect took off her phone case and removed her sim card. The suspect then told her that “this will never work”referring to their relationship. The victim replied back and told the suspect “yeah” and then asked for her phone back.
She then told the suspect that she needed to go because she was late for class. At this point, the suspect told her that he didn’t want her to go to class. When she insisted and tried to get out of the vehicle, the suspect came up behind her and struck her on the back of her head with his fist. The victim explained that he grabbed her by her bag and she responded by throwing the suspect’s phone on the ground at the school drop-off parking lot.
The victim also stated that she feared for her life and was scared to go home because she believed that the suspect would hurt her. The victim also claimed that this had happened multiple times. She described how the suspect would beat her up at his house while she was naked, and she was aware that the suspect’s mother was there during these incidents.
The victim also stated repeatedly that “this was not the first time”. She stated that it had become a routine and she feared for her life and was tired of being abused by the suspect.
She also explained how the suspect told her to quit her job and he would provide for her but she refused because she knew everything was all a lie.
After interviewing the victim, she requested that the authorities assist her in retrieving her personal belongings including her phone from the suspect’s residence.
At about 5:07 p.m., the officers escorted the victim to the suspect’s residence to collect her belongings and to locate the suspect. Upon arrival at the suspect’s residence, initial contact was made with Fa’atua.
After retrieving the victim’s personal belongings, both individuals were transported to the TPS in separate units for further investigation.
The suspect was Mirandized and refused to provide a written statement — verbally stating that he had nothing to say.
The suspect was then booked at the TPS and later transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility for confinement to await the next available sitting of the District Court.
The defendant is identified as a 43-year-old citizen of Samoa.