Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 23, 2025, a woman in distress called the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) and reported that a man had assaulted her in a store by inappropriately touching her.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine not to exceed $500, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine not to exceed $1,000, or both.

The defendant was held without bail.

According to the court affidavit, on Oct 23rd, at around 2:02 p.m., a woman (the victim) contacted the authorities regarding an unknown man (the suspect), who had allegedly assaulted her and tried to kiss her while she was at a store.

She stated that this is the first time an incident like this has happened to her.

Police officers responded to the call and, upon arrival at the scene in Pago Pago, they observed an unknown female (victim) with eyes that appeared swollen from crying, and seemed to be in a state of shock.

According to the woman, she had stopped by the store to buy groceries for their dinner. She explained it was when she remembered she needed Ginger Ale and went to the last aisle to get some that the incident happened.

She said as she bent down to grab the Ginger Ale, she felt someone grab her from behind. The person — an unknown male (suspect) — locked her head using his left arm and pulled her hair. He then licked her face and smothered her.

The victim stated that she screamed for help and at the same time tried to grab an object to hit the perpetrator, but couldn’t, as the suspect was too strong for her and his body odor was unbearable.

She explained that she continued to push the suspect away, and when she finally did, she saw that it was Daniel Lauama, whom she knew.

The victim stated that after the incident, the suspect fled the scene, and she called the police for assistance. She told the officers that she was scared to death and wanted to press charges against the suspect.

Police officers proceeded to the suspect’s residence, where he was apprehended and taken to the police station for further investigation. Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was booked and later confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility, awaiting the next available sitting of the District Court.

The victim sustained minor injuries (bruises/scratches) on her chest, back, and redness on her face. She refused EMS assistance and stated that she was okay.

The affidavit also noted that this is not the first time the suspect has been involved in such acts.