Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 6, 2024, a male individual was arrested for allegedly causing disturbances in a store and two other places.

Sefo Lemalu was apprehended and later charged with the following:

Count 1: Public Peace Disturbance — a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for six months, a fine of $500, or both;

Count 2: Resisting Arrest — a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both; and,

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

The defendant’s bail was set at $5,000.

According to the affidavit, on the evening of July 6th, the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) received a call from a store owner regarding a disturbance caused by a male individual in her store.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene, officers observed a male individual, dressed in a black tank top and black pants leaving the store with a bag in his possession.

The store owner subsequently identified the male individual as the one that caused the disturbance and provided surveillance footage as evidence.

The male was recognized as a repeat offender (a recidivist) by the officers and identified as Sefo Lemalu.

With assistance of other officers, an effort to locate the defendant was made, however, Lemalu was nowhere to be found in the vicinity of the Utulei store.

Around two hours later, police officers observed an individual shouting profanities in front of the Tedi of Samoa building, and running towards the market area.

Then around 10 p.m, the FPS received a call from another concerned citizen reporting a disturbance caused by a male individual in front of the Tool Shop in Malaloa.

Responding to the call, the officers arrived at the scene and encountered a crowd surrounding the male individual later identified as Lemalu, the same individual who was allegedly responsible for causing a disturbance at the store in Utulei and in front of the Tedi’s of Samoa building.

When the officers attempted to engage the defendant in a conversation, he started to act out of control and directed profanities at the officers. Moreover, the defendant tried to strike a male individual in the crowd while yelling profanity at him.

He then charged towards one of the officers, but was subdued by other officers. When officers attempted to handcuff Lemalu, he resisted violently, forcefully pulling his hand away and continued to yell profanity.

Despite his resistance, the officers successfully detained and transported the defendant to the FPS.

Upon arrival at the FPS, the defendant continued to act unruly, while being processed for detainment.

He swore at an officer and later standing up from the chair in which he was seated, with his hands cuffed behind him, grasped the chair and threw it in the direction of the officer he had been swearing at.

The officers then attempted to detain Lemalu for transportation to the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF); however, the defendant resisted and displayed unruly behavior, directing inappropriate language towards the officers.

He was eventually subdued and placed in the police unit and transported to the TCF to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 36-year-old U.S National.