Female suspect allegedly punches another woman
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On March 28, 2024, a woman contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and reported that she was allegedly assaulted by another female individual.
Sarah Falealo was later apprehended and charged with the following.
Count 1: Public Peace Disturbance — a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for six months, a fine of $500, or both; and,
Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree — a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one (1) year, a fine of $1,000, or both.
The defendant’s bail was set at $1,000.
According to the affidavit, on March 28, 2024 at about 11:14 a.m, Sarah Falealo (suspect) physically assaulted another female individual in front of the H&L Store in Nu’uuli.
The suspect allegedly punched the victim two times in her face with her closed fist, pulled her hair putting her on the ground, and scratched her face.
The suspect is alleged to have continued to cause a disturbance by yelling out profanities outside in the store’s parking lot.
When police arrived at the scene, they met with the victim who briefed the officers about the incident.
According to the victim’s verbal and written statement, she stated that she was at the H&L store in Nu’uuli looking for a phone to call a taxi. The suspect saw her walk inside the store and she started calling her names and telling her to leave the store immediately or else she would beat her up.
A witness was also on the scene and she explained that she was cleaning inside her house next to H&L Store and she heard people yelling profanities outside in the store’s parking lot. The witness stated she saw two girls fighting.
Moreover, she saw Falealo and the victim’s verbal altercation in front of her house which is the H&L parking lot. She continued that the suspect started yelling profanities and threw the first punch at the victim’s face then pulled the victim’s hair to the ground.
Police officers located the suspect and found her sitting outside a house, near the scene. The suspect was apprehended and placed inside a police unit to be transported to the TPS for further investigation.
Upon arrival at the TPS, the suspect was Mirandized to which she understood and was willing to make a statement and answer questions.
According to the suspect, the victim caused a disturbance at her workplace by calling her and her mother names. She was angry and she told her to leave but she refused, therefore she told the victim she would fight her outside in the parking lot. The suspect admitted that she threw the first punch at the victim’s face and she was yelling profanities.
The suspect refused to make a voluntary written statement.
The defendant was booked and confined until the next sitting of the District Court.
The defendant is also identified as a 33-year-old citizen of Samoa.