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Two men arrested in alleged savage beating

American Samoa DIistrict Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Two men are being charged in connection with the alleged beating of another man over a car part borrowed by the victim’s uncle. The victim ended up in ICU for two days before he was transferred to the Surgical Ward for further treatment.

The two men, Patrick Aleki and Lokeni Manuele made their initial appearances in Court two weeks ago.

They are each charged with second-degree assault and felonious restraint, both class D felonies, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. They are also each charged with third degree assault, a class A misdemeanor.

Each man is being held on a $15,000 bond, with the usual caveats, including not making any direct or indirect contact with the victim or any of the government’s witnesses.

THE ALLEGATION

The government claims that on May 29, 2021, a couple contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) about an alleged assault involving two men who assaulted another man in Tafuna during a drinking session. Several police responded to the call.

The victim, a 30-year-old father of three, works as a carpenter for a local construction company. Allegedly, the victim was asked by Manuele for the whereabouts of his older brother.

Manuele told the victim that his older brother had borrowed his (Manuele) power tools two months ago for his construction work and never returned them. The victim told Manuele that he’s asking the wrong person because he didn’t borrow the tools, but, he would tell his brother about it.

Manuele apparently did not like the manner in which the victim answered his question, and walked over to the victim and punched him in the face. The victim in turn punched Manuele who fell down.

As the victim was about to walk away, Manuele’s friend, Aleki, the co-defendant in this matter intervened and pushed the victim, who fell down, before Aleki punched the victim in the face.

At this point, Aleki held the victim down to keep him from running away, while Manuele assaulted him by kicking his face, back and stomach. Manuele then used a metal pipe to strike the victim on the head. The victim sustained serious injuries to his head, facial area and body.

Manuele and Aleki were arrested by police and later charged.