Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On September 26, 2026, a victim, accompanied by his father, walked into Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and reported an alleged violence assault.

The defendant, Moleli Tuitama, was arrested and later charged with:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine not more than $300, or both imprisonment and fine; and,
Count 2: Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to five years, a fine not to exceed $5,00, or both.

The defendant was held without bail.

According to the court affidavit, the incident occurred at the family's residence in Faleniu, where Tuitama had been living with the victim and his relatives.

The victim sustained several visible injuries, including bruising and a laceration on the right front side of his head, bruises on his forehead, scratches on his right temple, and bruising and scratches on his left cheek.

Police received the complaint at approximately 8:00 p.m. that evening when the victim, accompanied by his father, appeared at the TPS to report the alleged assault. The responding officer observed visible bruises and scratches on the victim's face before obtaining his statement.

According to the victim, he explained that the incident began earlier that morning when his mother woke him and instructed him to do the laundry.

As he made his way outside, he noticed Tuitama performing his morning chores. The victim stated that he was preparing to do the laundry when his mother began yelling at him, leading to a verbal disagreement between them. While he was arguing with his mother, Tuitama allegedly approached him unexpectedly and struck him in the head with a rock.

The victim described the attack as sudden, claiming he had no opportunity to defend himself before being struck.

According to his statement, as he attempted to react, Tuitama pushed him to the ground, jumped on top of him, and continued striking his head with a large rock. The victim further claimed that the attack was unprovoked and that even his mother appeared shocked by Tuitama's actions.

During the interview, the victim explained that Tuitama was a relative of his mother whom he referred to as his uncle. He told police that Tuitama had traveled to American Samoa from Apia through the StarKist employment program and had been living with the family for approximately two years.

The victim also claimed that Tuitama was no longer employed by StarKist and that his immigration identification had expired. These claims were included in the police report but were not independently verified in the affidavit.

The victim explained that the delay in reporting the incident was because he had sought immediate medical treatment at the hospital. He stated that he had just returned from the hospital before visiting the police station and that his medical examination report would be obtained on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.

Investigators photographed the victim's injuries and documented the information he provided regarding Tuitama's identity and possible whereabouts.

Police Locate Defendant The Following Morning

At approximately 8:16 p.m. on Sept. 26, the investigating officer contacted a patrol unit and provided Tuitama's information and location, requesting assistance in locating him for questioning. However, responding officers were unable to locate Tuitama at the address provided or elsewhere in Faleniu that evening.

The following morning, Sept. 27, at approximately 7:19 a.m., police contacted the victim to determine whether Tuitama had returned home. The victim informed officers that Tuitama had reportedly been seen at another resident's house in the village. 

Officers subsequently traveled to Faleniu to locate him. Upon arrival, neighbors directed police toward a small shack where Tuitama was reportedly sleeping.

Officers woke the individual and confirmed his identity by asking whether he was known by the nickname "Reupena." After he acknowledged the nickname, officers detained Tuitama at approximately 8:02 a.m. and transported him to the TPS. Tuitama arrived at the station at approximately 8:10 a.m. and was taken into an interrogation room.

The defendant was Mirandized. Tuitama indicated that he understood his rights, waived them, and agreed to provide a statement regarding the incident.

Defendant Denies Using Rock During Altercation

During his interview, Tuitama provided a different account of the confrontation, claiming that the victim had attacked him first.

According to Tuitama, the victim tackled him, causing both of them to fall to the ground. He stated that while the victim was on top of him, he struggled to push him away. Tuitama claimed that the victim sustained the injuries to his head after falling onto rocks during the struggle.

He denied using a rock to strike the victim. Tuitama further explained that the confrontation began when the victim was being lectured by his aunt, who was holding a two-by-four piece of wood.

According to his statement, the victim took the wooden stick away from his aunt and struck a bed with it. Tuitama claimed that he told the victim to stop his behavior, but the victim responded by throwing punches at him.

He maintained that the physical confrontation occurred because he was defending himself after being attacked.

However, investigators noted inconsistencies in Tuitama's explanation.

According to his account, he changed his story several times during questioning, with officers observing that he corrected his statements approximately two or three times. Because of the inconsistencies, a supervising officer postponed the booking process and accompanied the investigating officer back to Faleniu to conduct additional interviews.

Witness Claims Defendant Struck Victim With Rock

During the follow-up investigation, officers returned to the family residence, where they met with the victim, his mother, his aunt, and a male neighbor who had reportedly witnessed the incident.

According to the victim's aunt, she observed Tuitama physically assaulting his nephew with his bare hands before using a rock to strike him in the head. Her statement supported the victim's allegation that a rock had been used during the confrontation.

The victim's mother also provided an account of the incident.

She explained that she and her son had been involved in a disagreement before he went outside the residence. Shortly afterward, she heard Tuitama and her son fighting. When she rushed outside, she reportedly saw her son bleeding from the head. The mother stated that she was shocked by the injuries and confronted Tuitama, asking what he had done to her son and whether he had struck him with a rock.

According to her statement, Tuitama ignored her questions and walked away in another direction. She further alleged that Tuitama subsequently picked up a rock and threw it before grabbing a machete and walking toward her son.

The mother told investigators that a neighbor intervened and stopped Tuitama before he could reach the her son. Although she verbally described the incident to police, the mother declined to provide a written statement because she was preparing to attend church.

Investigators subsequently interviewed the neighbor who had reportedly intervened.

According to the neighbor, he was present during the confrontation and attempted to separate those involved in the fight. The witness confirmed that Tuitama had a machete and a rock in his hands during the incident.

The statements obtained during the follow-up investigation provided additional information that differed from Tuitama's account of how the victim sustained his injuries.

Police Unable To Recover Alleged Weapon

Following the interviews, investigators examined the area where the confrontation occurred in an effort to locate the rock allegedly used to strike the victim.

However, officers were unable to identify or recover the specific rock because numerous rocks were scattered around the scene. The affidavit indicated that the alleged weapon was not recovered during the investigation.

After completing the follow-up investigation, officers returned to the TPS.

Tuitama was subsequently booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 52-year-old Samoa citizen.

The victim is a 22-year-old US national.

The affidavit was filed in the District Court on Sept. 24, 2026.

As with all criminal cases, the allegations outlined in court filings remain accusations at this stage, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

[Editor’s Note: An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court. It is not a court decision.]