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Man from Samoa accused of assault ‘for no reason’ arrested and jailed

American Samoa District Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 39-year-old man from Samoa accused of assaulting another man with a metal pipe apparently for no reason was arrested by police last month. During his arrest, police found drugs in his backpack and his pocket.

Iasoni Tuiloma, a.ka. Nathan Tuiloma made his initial appearance in District Court last month.

He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine (meth) and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both unclassified felonies; along with one count of 2nd-degree assault, a class D felony, punishable by terms of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Bail is set at $15,000.

THE CASE

On Dec. 16, 2021 about 12:04a.m, a woman and her 38-year-old brother (the victim in this case) arrived at the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) requesting police assistance regarding her brother, who was bleeding from the right side of his head. Medical assistance was requested by officers, while other officers assisted the victim inside the station.

The victim looked weak and was just sitting on the chair leaning on to his sister without saying a word when questioned about his condition.

According to the victim’s sister’s statement to investigators, the incident happened in Nu’uulu, and she was the driver of their vehicle when they headed up the Tago road in Nu’uuli to drop off family members, who had attended a family gathering at their house in Fogagogo.

She said prior to reaching their destination, they saw a white pick-up truck parked next to the road in which she observed a male, who was shirtless, with two female individuals — drinking. As their vehicle passed the truck, they heard the male cussing at them in Samoan, followed by a loud war cry (faaumu). The male individual also threw an empty beer can at their vehicle.

She said she didn’t know these people, had never seen them before, or the truck. She also noted that while they continued to drive-by, one of her family members who was in the car told the male to leave the area and to not make any noise due to families around the area. The victim and his sister continued their errand of dropping off a family member.

The victim and his sister also spoke to two male individuals sitting in front of one of the houses in the area and asked them if they knew who owned the black truck parked next to the side of the road coming up to their house. The two male individuals said they had no idea who owned the truck.

It was on their way back down the road, by the shoe store on their left side, that the male that had cussed at them was seen standing in the middle of the road, waving at them to stop. This time, the male individual was wearing a white t-shirt with the words “Family Matters” on the front.

As they pulled over, the victim’s sister saw that the male had a two inch diameter metal pipe in his hand about 4 ft long and he was approaching the passenger’s side where her brother (victim) was sitting. Without a word, the male allegedly struck the victim’s forehead with the metal pipe, causing a huge laceration.

The male also pulled her brother’s neck and punched him in the face twice before he released her brother. The male then turned around and quickly ran to his truck parked on the other side of the road in front of the shoe store — got inside his truck and fled the area.

 The victim’s sister started calling out for help, while helping her brother by taking off his shirt and applying pressure to his forehead. She then drove to the TPS to report the alleged incident.

She told investigators that they had no knowledge who the suspect was and what the reason was behind his actions.

Investigators also questioned the victim about the alleged incident after he was treated at the LBJ hospital where he echoed his sister’s statement, including being struck on his forehead by a male with a big metal pipe on their way back down the Tago road in Nu’uuli. He also confirmed that he didn’t know the male or recognize his face. He had never seen him before.

The victim described the male as having a muscular build with a sleeve tattoo on his left chest, shoulder and forearm.

A police search then went out to locate the truck described by the brother and sister.

In the meantime, a family member of the victim who told the male and females who were drinking beer on the Tago road to leave the area, was already on the road looking for the truck after he was informed by the victim’s wife about the incident.

It was this family member who waved down police in the Nu’uuli area to inform them that he had spotted the suspect’s truck at a restaurant parking lot. Police then proceeded to the parking lot and confirmed the truck was there.

Investigators approached the truck and discovered two males with two females standing near the truck and asked them if they had seen the driver of the truck. A male walked over and asked investigators why they were looking for the driver, and police replied they only wanted to speak to the driver. The male replied, “If you’re looking for the driver of this vehicle, you then need a warrant to question me and to bring him in.”

The police then told the male that they needed to speak with the driver regarding a matter that was reported to their office earlier regarding a man who allegedly assaulted another man with a metal pipe.

That is when the male told investigators that he was the driver of the vehicle and his name is Iasoni Tuiloma, the defendant in this case. He further stated to investigators that the truck belonged his uncle.

Police asked Tuiloma to come with them to the TPS to discuss the reported incident but Tuiloma refused and told investigators that he was not going to the TPS or anywhere else because he wanted to spend time with his friends. He also told investigators to let him finish the party with his friends and he would visit the TPS the next morning.

Police asked Tuiloma again to come with them to the TPS to discuss the matter. However, Tuiloma asked police what the matter was, what were they referring to, and what was his connection to the matter.

Police informed Tuiloma that a male individual was assaulted by a male using a big metal pipe as a weapon and the description of the person of interest in this case matches him. Again, Tuiloma refused to cooperate.

Upon refusal to cooperate with investigators, Tuiloma was immediately apprehended, along with the truck, at the scene and was transported to the TPS for questioning.

An inventory of the vehicle was conducted at the TPS in the presence of Tuiloma. During inventory, investigators observed fresh blood stains on a light brown sponge that was located in the back of the truck. Also discovered under the driver’s seat was a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance inside.

Before Tuiloma was transported to the TPS for questioning, he was also patted down for any weapons or drug. During a body search, police discovered two small stamp-sized baggies containing a green leafy substance.

When asked about the incident, Tuiloma refused to offer any statement to investigators. He further refused to cooperate with investigators while processing his booking form. He was later booked and confined at the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF) to await the next sitting of the Court.

The white crystalline substance found inside the glass pipe was tested and the result was positive for meth. Police also tested the green leafy substance found inside the defendant’s pocket and the result was positive for THC, the active compound in marijuana.