Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — If convicted by the High Court, the driver of the car in the horrific car crash in the early hours of last Saturday will spend 52 years behind bars.

The defendant, Chanel Lafua, who is being held at the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF), unable to post a $75,000 surety bond is charged with 9 felony counts and 6 misdemeanor charges.

Lafua is charged with 4 counts of homicide by vehicle and 4 counts of driving while under the influence of alcohol causing death, all class D felonies, each will be punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both; one count of felonious restraint involving domestic violence, a class C felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 7 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both; along with misdemeanors charges of 2 counts of 3rd degree assault and 4 counts of reckless driving causing bodily injury, all class A misdemeanors, punishable by term of imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

Lafua is scheduled to appear in court this morning for his preliminary examination.

THE CASE

On December 16, 2021 at approximately 12:58a.m Fagatogo Police Headquarters received a call from an off duty officer, Captain A. Te’o reporting that he just picked up a distressed female in Faganeanea, who told him that, she jumped out of a vehicle — due to an unsettled domestic dispute between her aunt and the aunt’s boyfriend. And the vehicle, a white Rav 4, was heading east bound at a very high rate of speed.

Around 1:01a.m on Dec. 17, 2021, the Fagatogo dispatcher received a call from an unknown female reporting a vehicle with the same license plate number as reported on Dec. 16th (785E), (hereinafter vehicle A) driving recklessly and overtaking vehicles in the Fagatogo area. Police Headquarters dispatched Unit 29 from Satala area and relayed the reported information, along with the vehicle license plate number, possibly heading their direction.

Police Unit 29 set a stationery point in Satala near the cemetery awaiting vehicle A to approach. The officers said they could observe across from their stationary point, a white four-door vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, approximately 60-70 mph, passing ASCO motors in Pago Pago. When vehicle A came into visibility and approached them closer, they immediately initiated their blue lights and waved the vehicle down in an attempt to stop it. Vehicle A came to a stop where officers immediately approached the driver’s side while other officers approached the passenger side.

During the approach they observed a female passenger crying and calling out for help, at that point the driver, a male, accelerated the vehicle and took off at a high rate of speed.

Police Unit 29 dispatched the status of the traffic stop on the radio reporting that vehicle A had taken off. Officers immediately returned to their unit in an attempt to pursue vehicle A. However, vehicle A was way far ahead and according to the officers they lost sight of the vehicle as soon as they got back in their police unit. Unit 29 then pursued at a normal speed in an attempt to locate vehicle A along the way. In the meantime, enforcement units on the West side were dispatched to assist in the matter.

Police Unit 29 then dispatched that they observed a major crash at the main gate of StarKist Samoa with possible injuries and requested medical assistance. Officers approached the scene, discovering it was vehicle A that had crashed.

Upon arrival, officers helped secure the scene and rendered aid to injured parties, while the initial officers (of Unit 29) at the scene apprehended and secured the passenger and driver of vehicle A in an ambulance unit.

The driver of vehicle A was identify as Chanel Lafua, the defendant in this matter with a female passenger, who was identified in the court affidavit. (Since she is not being charged, Samoa News has chosen not to publish her name.)

Officers secured the scene and were able to collect information from witnesses. Officers canvassed vehicle A and observed beer cans around its surroundings, a strong odor of alcohol also emitted from inside the vehicle.

More police units arrived shortly after to assist, as the crowd became rowdy and out of control. Eventually, officers were able to identify 4 causalities and approximately 5 injured parties resulting from the crash. The dead were carried and secured on units PS19, PS21, PS40 where they were transported to the hospital for examination and pronounced dead upon arrival (DOA).

Police detectives arrived at the morgue and met up with the mortician to identify deceased bodies. The 4 deceased were later identified as Ierome Vili, Alatina Faleasi, Taumaoe Olive and Fa’asaulala Ahoni.

Mr. Vili suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was pronounced dead at 1:20a.m. Mr. Faleasi suffered severe traumatic brain injury and multiple facial injuries and was pronounce dead at 1:50a.m.

Investigators then spoke with Dr. Samu Silatolo the attending physician of Mr. Olive who also suffered a severe traumatic brain injury with multiple injuries to the body and head, he was pronounceddead at 2:06a.m. Last follow up was with Dr. Luz, the attending physician of Mr. Ahoni, who suffered a haemorrhagic shock and haemoperitoneum (Intra-abdominal injury), he was pronounced dead at 3:06a.m.

Investigators were able to conduct a follow up investigation with the distressed female who was picked up by an off duty police captain in Faganeanea on the same day. She was later identified as F.B of Faleniu. She verbally stated she called her aunt, who was the passenger of vehicle A, for a ride home.

She was later picked up by her aunt and her boyfriend, Lafua from her workplace in Tafuna. F.B stated Lafua appeared to be very intoxicated and was traveling at a high rate of speed and driving recklessly on the road from the Tafuna roundabout area. She jumped out of the car in Faganeanea and escaped with no injuries.

Investigation further revealed that Lafua and the female passenger had a domestic dispute with the female passenger trying to convince Lafua to slow down and stop the car. As their vehicle approached the airport main intersection in Nu’uuli, Lafua continued going at a high rate of speed and made a sudden sharp turn almost rolling over the vehicle.

And instead of going to their destination in Faleniu, Lafua continued on heading west bound driving recklessly. Somewhere in Avau, F.B stated that the female passenger tried to jump out of the vehicle to avoid abuse by Lafua, however, Lafua pulled her back in by yanking her hair so hard to the point where F.B intervened and fought off Lafua.

Lafua turned around and yanked her hair as well, and at that point the vehicle slowed and she managed to jump out of the car. However, the female passenger’s attempt to escape at that point was unsuccessful, as Lafua held her back in and accelerated the vehicle and sped off.

On the same date, investigators conducted a follow up investigation on the main witness (who also is named in the court affidavit) via telephone, where she was able to provide a verbal statement about the incident. The main witness is an employee of StarKist Samoa.

She said she was sitting with a group of people on a cement bench in the front of the facility taking their break hour, when she observed a white Rav 4 vehicle (vehicle A) coming at a very high rate of speed.

Vehicle A struck another vehicle (vehicle B) from behind, went airborne, barreling through the main gate of the facility, tossing a group of people before it landed on its roof. The main witness said they were in total shock and rushed to render aid to some of their work colleagues who were in vehicle B and at the main gate area and they contacted authorities immediately.

Further investigation revealed that vehicle B was about to pull out onto the main road when it was struck by vehicle A from behind. Vehicle B’s driver escaped with minor injuries while the front and the back seat passengers Mr. Olive and Mr. Ahoni suffered critical injuries and were later pronounced dead.

Mr. Vili, a security guard and Mr. Faleasi were among the group of people who were struck and tossed by vehicle A, suffering critical injuries and were later pronounced dead, while others among the group escaped with minor injuries.