Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A woman contacted the Leone Police Substation (LPS) requesting their assistance regarding an alleged public peace disturbance incident in Malaeloa.

When officers arrived in Malaeloa, they met up with the woman who stated that her car was passing by in front of the alleged defendant’s home, when they heard a loud bang as if something had hit their vehicle. The defendant is identified as Aoto’a Tuitasi.

The woman stated that she then stopped the car, got out and walked over to the defendant who was sitting with a group of people. She then accused Tuitasi of throwing something at her car, but he claimed no knowledge of what she was talking about. The argument between the woman and defendant became intense, resulting in Tuitasi punching the woman in the left side of her face.

Allegedly due to the victim being a dialysis patient, she started losing consciousness as she was explaining her side of the story to the Public Safety officers. Officers then assisted the victim and transported her to the hospital.

An eyewitness recounted that after the victim was assaulted, her nose was bleeding and she was feeling immense pain. The eyewitness then assisted officers by identifying Tuitasi as the individual who assaulted the victim.

As officers approached the defendant, the report says he admitted to assaulting the victim. Tuitasi was then detained and transported to the LPS for further processing.

Tuitasi was Mirandized and provided a verbal statement.

He stated that he was drinking with friends when the victim walked up to them and started blaming him for throwing something at her car. After several failed attempts to resolve the situation peacefully, he got mad and slapped her on the left side of her face. He further stated that he slapped her because she was being disrespectful on his property.

Aoto’a Tuitasi is charged with one count — assault in the third degree — and bail was set at $1,000.

TEVITA FINAU

The TPS received a call on Sept. 9, 2023 reporting that an unknown male had thrown a rock at his vehicle in Mapusaga while driving past the Pava’ia’i Catholic church.

At 11:30 PM, officers met with the victim, who had called the incident in, and said that while driving on the public highway on the west bound lane passing the Catholic church, he observed an individual wearing black pants and an army combat long sleeve shirt, come out of nowhere and began throwing rocks at his vehicle.

The driver says that he was in a state of shock and did not know what to do, so he drove away from the scene and immediately contacted the TPS for assistance.

Officers attempted to locate and apprehend the alleged suspect, but were unsuccessful. On the same day at 11:58 PM, another call came from an individual to the TPS, requesting assistance regarding his brother, Tevita Finau, who was causing a disturbance by yelling and swearing in Samoan at him. This incident occurred in front of their house behind the Pava’ia’i Catholic church.

When officers arrived, the man told them what happened and told officers that his brother, Finau, was in front of the road and came home angry — he was unaware what caused Finau to act in such a belligerent way.

The brother further told officers that when the defendant came home, he was wearing an army camouflage long sleeve shirt and started swearing, making unreasonable noises, and alarming their neighbors. When the defendant heard that his brother was calling the police, he fled the scene wearing the same clothes, along with combat boots.

After interviewing the defendant’s brother, officers canvassed the area, and found him sitting on the side of the road, wearing the clothes that matched the description provided by his brother. Officers, who were inside a police vehicle stopped and exited the unit, but the defendant got up and fled.

Officers pursued him on foot, and he was apprehended and then transported to TPS for the booking process.

During the transportation of the defendant, he continued to shout profanities and made threatening remarks towards one of the officers, stating that he would shoot him. When they arrived at the TPS, the defendant refused to be Mirandized and did not want to make a statement.

Finau, the defendant, is being charged with two counts — one count of public peace disturbance and one for property damaged in the second degree.

Bail is set at $1,000.