Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man was arrested over the weekend due to an altercation he is alleged to have started with another club goer at the Flames Bar in Tafuna.

Lavea Loi was charged with one count of public peace disturbance (PPD), with the intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm or recklessly creating the risk of it; and one count of assault in the third-degree, in which the defendant attempted to cause physical injury to another person.

His bail is set at $300 and he has been ordered to keep his distance from any bar, including Flames, and was also ordered to have no contact with the victim.

THE CASE

According to the court affidavit, an investigation by DPS disclosed that on April 29, 2023 at 11:29 PM, a man allegedly caused a disturbance by yelling out profanities and assaulting another man by punching him in his face. The incident took place in Tafuna at the Flames bar.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers met with the victim who said that the suspect was intoxicated and wanted to enter the sports bar after he had been kicked out for PPD.

The victim alleged the suspect continued to yell out profanities and physically assaulted him by punching him in the mouth one time.

The suspect was placed under arrest and transported to the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) for further investigation.

While apprehending the defendant, the officer on site detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages emitting from the defendant’s breath.

According to the affidavit, police observed physical injuries on the victim’s face and his lips had started to swell. The victim refused medical treatment.

On April 29, 2023, the defendant was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility until the next sitting of District Court.

In filling out his booking form, Loi spontaneously stated that he assaulted the victim by punching him in his mouth once with a closed fist due to his frustration.