Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On March 15, 2025, the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call from a man who reported that an individual allegedly threatened people in a nightclub with a gun.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree, a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $300.

According to the court affidavit, on Mar. 15th, at about 2:10 a.m., TPS received information from the FPS stating they received a call from a security personnel at a local nightclub in Tafuna alleging that an unknown male walked into the club carrying a gun and threatened to shoot anyone in the club.

The officers responded to the said call and upon arrival at the scene they met with the reporter. The reporter told police that a man with a tattoo (soga’imiti) had walked towards a group of people with a gun pointing in their direction and allegedly threatened them.

The officers asked the reporter if he had any information of the whereabouts of the suspect and he stated that the suspect left in a yellow van but he couldn’t see the license plate. The reporter also mentioned that he saw four individuals leaving with the suspect in the yellow van.

After gathering information from the reporter, the officers proceeded to locate the yellow van. The officers observed the yellow van in the Tafuna area, making its way towards Petesa. The officers subsequently saw the van next to a nearby dirt road and  they activated their sirens. The vehicle quickly turned into the dirt area and pulled over.

The authorities ordered the driver using their PA system to turn off their vehicle and ordered the individuals to come out of the vehicle but the driver refused to cooperate.

The officers requested for backup and a few minutes later more officers arrived to assist. Upon approaching the van, five unknown individuals were detained and they were informed of the report involving an alleged weapon.

The driver of the van stated that there was no weapon in the vehicle, just his drill. All five individuals were placed into the police units and transported to the TPS for further investigation.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the officers questioned the five individuals separately in an attempt to identify the suspect. One of the individuals (later identified as the witness) voluntarily stated that the weapon (gun) was inside the van and that it was used by the suspect to threaten people in the club.

The officers accompanied the witness to the vehicle and retrieved the gun from the driver’s side. The weapon was identified as a .22 rifle.

The officers then interviewed the witness at the station where he provided a written statement. The witness verbally stated that he was disappointed with the suspect’s attitude. He stated that he wanted peace but the suspect was out of control when he started brandishing the gun at people. The witness stated he then left the club and headed to the vehicle to wait for the suspect so they could go to McDonald’s to buy food.

At about 3:20 a.m., the reporter arrived at the TPS to identify and confirm the suspect.

He pointed out a man later identified as Iosia Mulipola.

The suspect was Mirandized and refused to make a statement.

Mulipola was later booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility for 48 hours to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The affidavit also noted that it is still unknown who the owner of the weapon is. The description of the gun is that it is a .22 rifle (inoperable) with a missing barrel, it also has a muzzle and wooden stock tied with a black nylon rope. The .22 rifle was not loaded and there was no ammunition discovered in the vehicle. The suspect did not have a license for the gun.

Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the other three individuals that were in the van did not know what happened and they were all intoxicated. They apparently were waiting in the van for the suspect. The suspect had also been drinking and was operating the vehicle with no driver’s license.

The defendant is identified as a 34-year-old citizen of Samoa.