Man allegedly involved in rash of burglaries in Ili’ili charged in two cases
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Ili’ili and Pava’ia’i Laundromat owners called police on May 31st, after discovering the south-side sliding window of their establishment was pried open and in addition, $370 cash that was left inside the cash register, was missing.
On the same day at 6:30a.m., officers arrived at the scene in Pava’ia’i and met with one of the owners who then briefed officers on the matter and provided a written statement.
After providing a written statement, the male owner directed the officers to crime scene — the point of entry by the criminal and the cash register where there were only coins inside.
During the interview, the owner told officers that on May 31 at 6:32 a.m., he opened the store and reviewed the surveillance camera footage and discovered that an unknown individual broke into the store and stole various items. He states that the footage revealed the incident occurred at 1a.m. The owner estimated damages to their property at $250, not including the stolen money.
According to the affidavit, upon reviewing the surveillance footage, one of the officers was able to identify the suspect as one of the individuals who was involved in previous break-in cases.
Then on June 3, 2023, a woman called the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) regarding the individual who was involved in burglarizing the laundromat in Pava’ia’I, which she observed near her store in Ili’ili, identifying Etimani Canirahan as the culprit, based on the footage, and also offered to transport him to the police station utilizing her vehicle.
That evening at 7:35p.m. the woman arrived at the TPS and officially identified Canirahan as the suspect. He was Mirandized but declined to provide a statement. He was later released on his own recognizance.
In a second incident also involving Canirahan, the owner of Mobile Quick Repair in Nu’uuli reported a break-in on June 9, 2023.
When officers arrived, they interviewed the owner who stated that at 7:30a.m. when she opened her store, she observed the back window open and some of her money-flower bouquets were on the floor and a money ula was missing.
She then reviewed her surveillance footage and observed a male individual entering through the back window and stole about $4,000 - $5,000 in cash used in the money-flower bouquets and money ulas, in addition a vape, and 3 android cellphones with a value of $1,000 were also missing.
Officers were then directed to the point of entry and canvassed the area and recovered some of the stolen items at the point of entry, which amounted to $60 in $5 bills, which were returned to the owner.
In reviewing the surveillance footage, officers observed the individual, later identified as Etimani Canirahan, entering through the back small sliding window, walking towards the cashier area and searching through some items on the table. The suspect then saw a money-flower bouquet along with an ula that was made out of $100 bills.
Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, officers identified Canirahan as the same individual involved in previous break-in cases.
Canirahan’s initial court appearance was Wednesday, June 21, 2023 where he is charged with 9 criminal counts —2 counts of burglary in the first degree, 2 counts of trespassing, 4 counts of stealing, and 1 count of property damage in the second degree.
His bail is set at $5,000 for the first incident and $8,000 for the second.