Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On February 15, 2025, a woman called the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report that her brother was allegedly assaulted by an unknown male. A video of the incident was circulated on social media in an effort to find the suspect.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $5,000.

According to the court affidavit, on Saturday, Feb. 15th, at around 10:33 a.m., a woman (later identified as the victim’s sister) contacted the TPS and reported that her brother (later identified as the victim) was allegedly assaulted in front of the Mose’s laundromat in Fagaima.

Prior to calling the police, the victim’s sister requested medical assistance for her injured brother. While on the phone with police dispatch, EMS arrived at the scene and transported the victim to the LBJ Hospital for treatment.

Before the victim’s sister left to go to the hospital, she requested to review the surveillance footage from the laundromat in order to help identify the perpetrator(s). She obtained the footage and proceeded to the hospital.

The victim’s sister was later interviewed and according to her verbal statement, she was driving home and saw a crowd gathered at the laundromat. She pulled over to see what was going on and upon approaching the scene, she saw an injured male who turned out to be her brother.

According to the victim's sister, the perpetrator was not present at the scene. She explained that she had acquired the surveillance footage of the incident and posted it on social media to see if anyone could assist with identifying the perpetrator.

Authorities also viewed that footage on social media and spoke with the reporter and confirmed that they would try and locate the perpetrator.

After speaking to some village people, police were able to identify the suspect as Robert Tuna. Police located the suspect at his home in Kokoland and transported him to the TPS for questioning.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the suspect was Mirandized to which he said he  understood and agreed to provide a statement.

The suspect admitted to punching the victim multiple times in the face. He explained that while punching the victim, the victim fell to the ground and he kicked him in the face twice.

Another witness was also interviewed (later identified as the suspect’s brother), and he corroborated the suspect’s statement and confirmed that his brother assaulted the victim.

The suspect was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

On the same date, authorities proceeded to LBJ Hospital to follow up the victim’s condition. The attending physician provided the following assessment:

The victim sustained: (1) nasal bone fractures, (2) his left eye was swollen, (3) he had a knee abrasion, and (4) he also had minor lacerations on his face.

The attending physician further stated that due to the victim’s distress and reluctance to be touched, sedation was necessary to conduct a thorough examination. The doctor also noted that the victim has a medical history of Schizophrenia.

The defendant is identified as a 19-year-old U.S National.