Ads by Google Ads by Google

Man arrested for allegedly assaulting his aunt’s boyfriend

Court Report logo
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 35-year-old man accused of assaulting his aunt’s boyfriend was arrested by police last month, where he made his initial appearance in Court.

Fuifatu Vaega is charged with 2nd-degree assault and 1st-degree property damage, both class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000 or both; and two misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.

The court established Vaega’s bond in the amount of $10,000.

A request to the court to reduce Vaega’s bond was denied.

THE CASE

The government claims that it was Dec. 13, 2021 around 7:33p.m when the TPS received a phone call from a woman asking for assistance for her boyfriend, who was being assaulted by her nephew. Her nephew was later identified as Fuifatu Vaega, the defendant in this matter.

Several police officers responded to the call in the Tafuna area, and were able to speak to the reporter.

According to the woman, she was at work when she received a call from her boyfriend, saying that her nephew (defendant) allegedly struck his head with a metal pipe. The defendant also used the same metal pipe to allegedly damage the victim’s vehicle.

The victim was transported to the LBJ hospital for treatment where 6 stitches were needed to close the cut on the left side of his head.

Police spoke to the victim at the hospital on Saturday morning. According to the victim, Vaega confronted him and asked him about his relationship with his girlfriend (defendant’s aunty).

According to the victim, Vaega was very disappointed with the way he responded to his question.

However, according to the victim, his girlfriend informed Vaega two months ago about their relationship.

The victim told police that it was in the middle of their conservation when Vaega allegedly punched him in the face, causing him to fall down.

While he was on the ground, Vaega allegedly grabbed a metal pipe that was lying in front of the house and struck his head.

Vaega then allegedly walked over to where his vehicle was parked and started damaging all the glass on his vehicle, including the windshield.

The victim told police that after Vaega assaulted him and damaged his vehicle, his 16-year-old nephew (defendant’s cousin) went over and asked Vaega why he did this to his uncle. Vaega turned around and slapped his cousin and told him not to interfere with things that he does not understand.

Police were unable to locate the defendant at the scene, however on a Sunday afternoon, two months after the alleged incident, police arrested him from his friend’s house in Pago Pago last month.

When questioned by police, Vaega admitted striking his aunt’s boyfriend with a metal pipe causing injury to his head. He also admits that he damaged the victim’s vehicle and also assaulted his 16-year-old cousin by slapping his face