Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On April 9, 2024, a woman from Fagali’i contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) regarding a man who allegedly assaulted her 15-year-old nephew.

The defendant was later arrested and charged with the following:

Count 1 & 3: Assault in the Third Degree — a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one (1) year, a fine of $1,000, or both; and,

Count 2: Endangering the Welfare of a Child — a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one (1) year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

The defendant's bail was set at $2,000.

According to the affidavit, on April 9, at about 7:37 p.m, a woman from Fagali’i contacted the TPS regarding a male individual who allegedly assaulted her nephew.

Police officers responded to the reported incident and upon arrival at the scene, family members pointed out where the suspect was. While the officers were approaching the mentioned location, the suspect saw the officers and fled up the mountain behind his house. The officers engaged in a foot pursuit but were unsuccessful.

Later, the police officers met up with one of the witnesses where she described the incident. She said that they were playing volleyball in front of their house with her little brother (victim) and their family.

While they were playing volleyball, her little brother made a joke to the suspect about his smoking meth; and, when her brother went to get the ball under the volleyball net, the suspect kicked the ball towards her little brother’s face.

The witness further stated that her little brother got angry and asked the suspect, “What do you want?” The suspect responded by approaching her little brother and punching him several times.

The witness stated she then intervened and tried to break up the fight but got struck by the suspect’s punches. The suspect then grabbed a cement block and attempted to hit them with it.

Furthermore, the witness stated that after the fight, the suspect went to their house and grabbed a machete and attempted to assault them with it.

His father came and snatched away the machete from the suspect’s hands. By this time, the suspect’s mother had contacted the police for assistance.

After interviewing the witness, police officers interviewed the victim for his side of the story. He collaborated his sister’s story of the incident, including the assault with the cement block followed by the suspect being so angry he came with a machete and attempted to assault them with it.

Police advised the family to give them a call if the suspect returned home.

On the same date at about 8:57 p.m, the suspect accompanied by his father walked into the TPS regarding the said incident in Fagali’i.

The suspect was Mirandized and agreed to provide a statement of the incident. The suspect explained that they were playing volleyball and his little cousin was joking about him smoking meth. At that time, he got so angry that he approached his little cousin and threw punches at him.

The defendant was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 23-year-old U.S National.