Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 19, 2025, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) reported an alleged assault incident in Vailoa,

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment of up to one year, a fine not to exceed $1,000, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable for up to fifteen days, a fine not to exceed $300, or both.

The defendant was held without bail.

According to court records, on Oct 18th, at approximately 11:18 p.m., LPS received a call from EMS regarding a victim of an assault case in Vailoa. The authorities proceeded to the Emergency Room (ER) at the LBJ Hospital and met with the victim.

The victim was at the ER, and despite his injuries, he was able to brief the officers regarding the incident.

According to the victim’s verbal statement, the suspect assaulted him with a rock. He explained that “he was at home and all of a sudden the suspect started to yell out profanities in Samoan. The victim claimed that the suspect threatened to slit his throat and chop his body up using a machete.

He explained also that he was sitting at the dining table when he heard his wife yelling and screaming. He tried to find out what the commotion was about, and he saw the suspect attempting to approach him with a rock.

Moreover, the victim stated that before he could react, the suspect threw the rock at him, so he covered his face with his hands, but the rock hit his head.

Later on that night, he contacted the EMS to assist him to the hospital for medical needs due to his injuries.

The authorities approached residents in Vailoa to locate the suspect.

The suspect was informed of their visit, and he willingly cooperated. The suspect was escorted to the LPS, where he was processed for further investigation.

Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was Mirandized, where he understood and voluntarily made a statement.

The suspect admitted to assaulting the victim with a rock. He stated that he grabbed the rock and punched the victim while aiming for his head. The suspect explained that he was hurt because of how the victim treated his niece (the victim’s wife).

The suspect claimed that the victim left his niece for days, and sometimes a month, to go out with his friends and do drugs. Although the suspect provided a verbal statement, he refused to put it in writing.

The suspect, later identified as Fa’aoloaga Satuala, was booked and later confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility until his court appearance.

The defendant is identified as a 40-year-old citizen of Samoa.