Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 24, 2024, a female individual called the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report an alleged assault near the laundromat in Pavaiai.

The suspect was later apprehended and charged with:

Count 1 & 2: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000 or both; and,

Count 3: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

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

According to the court affidavit, on Nov. 24th, at around 7:36 p.m, TPS received a call from a female individual (reporter) stating that a male individual known as Raymond Puni (suspect) assaulted his girlfriend.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene at about 7:43 p.m, they met up with the reporter and interviewed her regarding the incident.

The reporter stated that they were unloading their laundry and they saw Puni punching and beating up the victim next to the container in front of the laundromat. The reporter stated that a male individual walked up to them to try to stop the suspect but ended up fighting with the suspect, who also threw stones at the male individual.

The responding officers canvassed the area to locate the suspect, and were waved down by the male individual who tried to stop the suspect and he showed the officers to where the suspect ran off. The male stated that the suspect went inside the plantation across from the laundromat.

As the officers approached the plantation, the suspect got up and fled from the scene where the officers started pursuit. The officers caught up to the suspect and apprehended him where he was placed inside the police unit. While one of the officers was trying to secure the suspect’s seatbelt, the suspect threatened the officer saying to “be careful or I will break your mouth”.

At about 8:00 p.m., the officers tried to locate the victim but she was nowhere to be found. The male individual (witness) who had intervened to stop the assault was also interviewed.

According to the witness, he was doing laundry and he heard a girl scream. He walked outside and saw the suspect beating up the victim, so he walked towards them to try and stop them. As he approached the suspect, the suspect grabbed a speaker and threw it at the victim and hit her on her waist. The suspect then turned and started throwing rocks at him and yelling profanities in Samoan.

The suspect was transported to the TPS where he was Mirandized. He refused to make a statement and was later booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.