Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On September 29, 2024, a female individual contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report that her husband allegedly assaulted her and her daughter.

The defendant was apprehended after fleeing the scene and was charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one-year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $20,000.

(Samoa News has chosen not to publish the names of those involved in the incident due to minor children being involved.)

According to the affidavit, on September 29th, at approximately 7:02 p.m., a female individual (later identified as the victim) reported that her husband assaulted her and her 7-year-old daughter.

Police officers responded to the call but upon arrival, the suspect had fled the scene. The authorities transported the victim and her children to the station for further investigation.

Upon arrival at the TPS, one of the officers observed that the victim’s right eye was swollen shut which prompted a call for EMS. The victim was treated however, she refused further treatment.

In her verbal and written statements, the victim explained that the altercation began the night before, September 28th, after she returned home from work at around 3:00 a.m., and found that her husband was still out helping his sister. The next morning, the suspect confronted her about food in the house and also accused her of infidelity. The suspect then punched her in her right eye and the back of her head when she denied his allegations.

Her sister-in -law intervened, allowing her to escape and call the police.

The officers attempted to locate the suspect at his residence but were unsuccessful. The officers then got a tip that the suspect had used a stranger’s phone to call the victim and threatened to cut his toddler son’s neck and then his own. He also used the same phone to call a taxi, which transported him and his son to his sister’s house. After receiving this information, police officers proceeded to the suspect's sister's house, and searched it — they found the suspect hiding in his sister’s bedroom.

The officers apprehended the suspect and transported him to the TPS along with his 2-year-old son, who was returned to his mother, the victim.

The suspect was Mirandized and provided both a verbal and written statement.

The suspect admitted to accusing his wife of infidelity, to which she yelled that his family was poor and that they constantly moved from place to place. He stated he was angered by her response, so he slapped her in the face, causing his palm to hit her eye, resulting in swelling.

Following the suspect’s statement, he was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next sitting of the District Court.