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Facebook video shows local police allegedly using excessive force

Video of police at bicycle incident
Joyetter@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Department of Public Safety remains mum on a video circulating online of four police officers trying to subdue a 20-year old male.

The video in question was posted on social media  on Saturday and is going viral on Facebook. It appears from the video the incident occurred in Lepuapua, across from the Leone Post Office. It’s unclear when the incident occurred.

(See the link to the video on Samoa News Media Facebook page.)

Samoa News reached out to Acting Police Commissioner Foifua Vaipuna Foifua Jr for comments but calls and visits to his office yesterday were unsuccessful.

The video in question caught a police officer talking to Sone Wilson and restraining his bike, seconds later the kid got off and was thrown by the cop to the ground. Three more cops came running and “Sone” was heard screaming out that “it hurts” and telling the cops to “get off” of him.

The video was accompanied by a post by Sone’s older brother, Ueseli who posted the video.

 “I normally don’t post about this nor share this on social media. “This not a post on hating on the whole police establishment of America Samoa but just these uneducated lowlife crooked cops that can’t be professional at their job will get what they did to my little brother.”

Ueseli claims that Sone was riding his bike right by the crime scene where supposedly a bus is burning and the cops assumed he was involved and led to what was captured on the video.

 “Clearly the cops should’ve been way more professional in these clips that you’ve witnessed.

 “There’s so many red flags and I can’t bare and to to think how Sone felt through all that.

 “It hurts me and I couldn’t hold it in and post this.

“I pray to whoever is in this video harming Sone, you messed up and be ready because justice will be served.”

Furthermore Ueseli called on the Department of Public Safety to invest in body cameras that are being used by cops overseas.

Ueseli further asked that the cops undergo training on how to handle such situations.

 “People in American Samoa have realize that everyone knows everyone. “If he ain’t cooperating get someone else to de escalate the situation not make it worse.

 “It took 4 cops to hold my little bro down,” said Mr Ueseli.

Meanwhile some police officers have countered the post on their personal FB pages calling on the critics to “try walking in their shoes” and “see if they can do their job.”