Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 30, 2024, a victim of domestic violence called the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report that her boyfriend allegedly assaulted her while she was holding her baby.

He was later charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree (DV), a class D felony punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000.00 but not less than $150, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300 but not less than a $150, or both imprisonment and fine.

The defendant’s bail was set at $50,000.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identities of the victim and minors involved.)

According to the court affidavit, on Nov. 30th, at around 4:10 p.m., a female individual (later identified as the victim) contacted the TPS to report that her boyfriend (suspect) had allegedly assaulted her at his house. The victim was in hiding when she contacted the police station from the neighbor’s house.

The officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene, they met up with the victim. The officers were told by the victim that the suspect had fled the scene.

The victim was asked by the officers about what happened and the victim verbally explained that it all started when the neighbor was playing music very loudly. The suspect started to bad mouth the neighbor saying “that mala (transgender) and his music sounds like he wants to eat sh*t with his songs”.

The victim stated she told the suspect, “I don’t know why you’re bothered when he’s playing his music inside his home”. The suspect replied that she’s not allowed to answer him back and also called her a “dog” (in Samoan). She answered him back that she doesn't know why he’s bothering the neighbor, which angered the suspect.

The suspect then walked up to her and slapped her twice in the face. At that point, the victim told the suspect that she was going to call the police because he assaulted her while she is pregnant.

In response, the suspect tried to punch her in the face, but she managed to block it. The victim continued that the suspect punched her again on the side of her stomach and threw a fan cover at her and hit her in her back. The suspect also grabbed her hair and slammed her into the wall which caused her to feel nauseous. The suspect then went outside their house and grabbed a fishing spear and tried to stab her with it while their 5-month-old son was sleeping next to her. Luckily, the suspect’s brother stopped the suspect from being able to stab her.

The victim said the suspect went out to the front door of the house and made his way back inside the house using the back door. One of the suspect’s cousins was able to snatch away the fishing spear from the suspect. The suspect’s brother told their cousin to take the 5-month-old baby away from her.

The suspect then grabbed a flashlight and attempted to hit her but the suspect’s brother covered her.

At this point, the suspect left the house and swore at the victim and told her to get out of the house.

The victim stated that as she was packing her and her child’s belongings, the suspect came back at her with a pocket knife and threatened to slit her throat while she was carrying her baby in her arms.

The victim explained that she ran to their neighbor’s house to ask for a cell phone so she could call the police. She contacted the police and hid inside the neighbor’s house until the officers arrived.

The victim also notified the officers that she had the suspect’s drug paraphernalia which had residue of suspected methamphetamine inside of it. The pipe was seized and turned over to the Vice and Narcotic Division.

The victim and her two children were transported to the TPS to await the arrival of the EMS unit for treatment. Later, she was placed at the shelter with her children because the suspect was still at large. The victim also feared for their lives.

The defendant is identified as a 29-year-old U.S National.