Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On June 3, 2025, the Leone Police Subtation (LPS) received a call regarding a young man who allegedly assaulted his minor sister for lying to him.

The suspect was later 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 $3,000.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identity of the minor who is also the victim in this case.)

Court records reveal that on June 3rd, an individual (the reporter) contacted the LPS regarding a male individual (the suspect) who was allegedly causing a disturbance. The reporter stated that the suspect was yelling profanities repeatedly at his 16-year-old sister.

Police officers proceeded to the said call and upon arrival at the scene, they made contact with the reporter who was standing outside the front door of their residence. The reporter briefly explained what happened.

The authorities asked about the whereabouts of the suspect and she informed them that the suspect left the house a few minutes ago.

The victim was observed sitting on a couch inside their house with minor swelling on her left eye and both cheeks. Photos of the victim’s injuries were taken.

Subsequently the officers observed the suspect standing by a tree beside their house. One of the officers called out to the suspect to walk towards them, which he did, and the suspect was apprehended and placed inside the police unit to be transported to the LPS for further investigation.

The officers interviewed the reporter at the scene. According to the reporter, she was sleeping inside her room but woke up when she heard the victim screaming and crying from outside. When she got up, she saw the suspect punching the victim’s face twice and then he pushed her down. The suspect also kicked the victim multiple times on her side and continued to punch her.

She stated that this all happened outside on the dirt road to their house. She then contacted the police for help.

The officers asked the reporter if this was the first time this happened to which the reporter stated “no, it happens a lot”. The investigation revealed that the victim and suspect live in the same residence.

The victim was also interviewed at the scene. The victim explained that the reason why she was assaulted was because the suspect was mad about their not going together, with their younger sibling, on the first school bus. The victim stated that she saw the suspect getting angry and he accused her of lying because she didn’t want to go to school.

The victim explained that “she backed up because she was scared of getting beaten up by her brother (suspect). However, she got punched in the face and was pushed to the ground. She tried to stand up but the suspect started kicking her on her sides and continued punching her while she was trying to cover her face.

The victim was asked if she needed medical assistance but she refused.

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

According to the suspect, he beat up his sister because she was lying to him about going to school. He also stated that he hates it when his siblings lie to him.

The suspect was booked and confined for 48 hours at the Tafuna Correctional Facility.

The victim’s aunty returned later with the victim and requested medical assistance because her niece was in pain.

The defendant is identified as a 27-year-old citizen of Tonga.