Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On May 27, 2024, a mother contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report her son who was allegedly disturbing the peace and threatening his father with an ax.

Peter Fa’amoe, the defendant was apprehended and charged with the following:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV) — a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both; and,

Count 2: Property Damage in the Second Degree (DV) — a class A misdemeanor punishable for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $1,000.

According to the affidavit, at about 4:46 p.m, a mother contacted the TPS and reported that the defendant, who is her son, was disturbing the peace and damaged the window frame at their family home in the village of Malaeloa.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival they made initial contact with the mother who explained what had happened.

As police were conducting their investigation, they observed the defendant running in the back of their family home shouting profanities at his father. The defendant cussed and accused his father, saying “You’re not telling the truth”.

Officers proceeded to where the defendant was and apprehended him. He was transported to the TPS for further investigation. While placing the defendant inside the police unit he continued to yell profanities at his father.

Police officers also interviewed the father (victim) at the scene where he gave a verbal statement.

The victim explained that his whole family went to clean the yard at about 4:00 p.m while his son (defendant) was sleeping. The defendant woke up and walked to the back, to their family kitchen, and started shouting from the kitchen saying “there is no more rice for him to eat”.

The victim said he approached his son and told him how disrespectful he was being. At that time, the defendant walked to the front of their living room and punched the window frame shattering several louvers.

The victim stated that the defendant also threatened him by grabbing an ax and waving the ax in the air aiming it towards him.

When the officers met up with the mother of the defendant she verbally stated that “this is an ongoing thing in their family especially with the defendant.”

Upon arrival at the station, the defendant was Mirandized and he agreed to make a statement.

The defendant claimed he was mad because he went to the kitchen to get some rice but it was finished. He also admitted that he grabbed an ax and threatened his father while waving the ax around, and that he also damaged the window frame inside the family home by punching it.

After the defendant was interviewed, he was booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to be confined to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 24 year-old U.S National.