Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On August 31, 2025, a victim of a domestic dispute called the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and reported that she was allegedly assaulted by her father-in-law, which also resulted in injuring her one-year old baby.

The suspect apprehended and charged with:

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

Count 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: Endangering the Welfare of a Child (DV), 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 $300.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identity of one of the victims, who is a minor.)

According to the court affidavit, on Aug. 31st, at about 11:50 a.m., TPS received a call from a woman (victim #1) reporting that her father-in-law allegedly assaulted her, adding that during the assault, her one-year-old baby (victim #2) was injured.

Police officers responded to the call and, upon arrival at the scene, met with victim #1 to interview her about what had happened. Meanwhile, another officer interviewed the ]victim’s mother (witness #1).

After interviewing the victim and the witness, the officers canvassed the area to locate the suspect, but he was nowhere to be found. The officers then notified the victim to contact them if the suspect returns.

On the same day, at around 1:12 p.m., the victim contacted the TPS, stating that the suspect had returned to their house. The officers proceeded back to the scene were able to apprehended the suspect and transport him to the police station for further investigation.

According to victim #1, she was scolding her kids for not listening. She explained that “she had called out to them five times about what to do and they still didn’t listen.” As a result she stood up and gave them a beating using a slipper to discipline her kids. After disciplining her children, she walked outside the house, and that’s when the suspect walked in.

As she was closing the door, she heard a loud noise of a plate crashing against the wall. She came back to grab her kids away from the table, and while doing so, the suspect hit her with a tray. The suspect’s daughter and son intervened, holding the suspect back while she made her way out with her children.

However, the suspect threw a tablet at her, which missed and instead hit her one-year-old son in the eye.

The victim continued that she took her kids into her mother’s room, and a few seconds later, the suspect punched the bedroom window, where the glass shattered inside the room. The victim further stated that the suspect was mad because his grandkids were crying.

During the witness’ interview (victim’s mother) she informed the officers that she heard her grandkids crying and she went inside the house to check on them. When she opened the door and entered the house, she saw the suspect throwing her daughter with a tablet, and the suspect’s son blocking the tablet with his hand, deflecting it, and instead it hit the one-year-old.

Upon arrival at the TPS at approximately 1:34 p.m., the suspect was Mirandized, and agreed to make a statement and answer questions.

According to the father-in-law’s statement, he got mad because he heard his grandkids crying. He explained that after eating with his family, he went outside to smoke, and he heard his grandkids crying. He then went to check on the kids, and he saw the victim beating his grandkids with a slipper and told her to stop.

The suspect complained that “this is not the first time he had told his kids not to make the grandkids cry.”

The father-in-law’s daughter was also interviewed, and she stated that her father got mad at her sister-in-law for beating up her kids during a family feast. She explained that her father has told them multiple times not to make the grandkids cry during their family feast. She added that when her father told her sister-in-law not to make the kids, her sister-in-law told her him that he’s very disrespectful.

The suspect’s daughter claimed that what the victim said that, it got her father mad. She also stated that the one-year-old was hurt before her mother took him to the room.

The father-in-law’s son also gave a statement, stating that his sister-in-law and father got into an argument during their family feast. He claimed that his father got mad because the victim spanked the kids when they didn’t listen.

The suspect was later booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 57-year-old citizen of Samoa.