Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 14, 2024, a female individual contacted the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) to report that her son-in-law allegedly assaulted her daughter while she was carrying her 1-year-old daughter.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1 & 2: Assault in the Third Degree ( As a C Misd.) DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both; and,

Count 3: Endangering the Welfare of a Child (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 $10,000.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identities of the victim and minor in this case.)

According to the affidavit, on Nov.14th, at approximately 5:05 p.m., a female individual contacted the FPS to report her daughter (later identified as the victim) was allegedly assaulted by her husband (later identified as the suspect) at their residence.

The reporter alleged that the suspect punched the victim in the face and stomach while she was holding their 1-year-old daughter.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene, they observed a male individual holding his daughter while standing outside a neighbor’s house. The baby was observed with blood on the left lower eyelid. The officers immediately got out of the unit and approached the male individual. He pointed the officers directly to his residence where his wife was.

The officers interviewed the victim at their residence where she explained how her husband punched her four times on the left side of her stomach and left cheek. The victim stated that “she carried her daughter hoping the husband would stop, but he still punched her cheek the second time which led to the baby getting hurt”.

The victim also verbally stated how “scared she was for her and their daughter because it was not the first time he had done this.”

The victims along with the suspect were escorted to the FPS for further investigation and to await the arrival of the EMS to treat the victims.

Upon arrival at the FPS, the officers immediately interviewed both parties in separate rooms. The suspect was Mirandized and refused to make a statement regarding the incident.

EMS arrived at the station to treat the baby and check for any visible bruises on both victims. No bruises were found on the mother but the baby had a minor scratch on her left lower eyelid allegedly from when the suspect punched the victim.

A written statement was later obtained from the victim and translated by one of the officers:

The victim stated that the argument started the day before ( Nov. 13, 2024). She got home from work and saw her husband sleeping. She got mad and asked him “why he didn’t do their shopping?” The suspect angrily asked her “if she could carry a case of chicken from the store?”, to which she replied “yes”.

The following the day, she cleaned the house before leaving for work and also asked the suspect to take good care of their daughter. However, when she got home she saw the suspect sleeping again while the baby was crawling around unattended with trash all over the house.

The victim stated she got so mad and she whispered in her baby’s ear “if she wanted to go to her grandma’s house?” She said the suspect heard and it made him angry. The suspect then threatened her by saying “ if I wasn’t sick, I would’ve stabbed your throat with something sharp.” She further explained that the suspect has been threatening her multiple times and she had a cut on her ear one time because of the suspect.

She continued that today, she chose to do the right thing for the sake of her daughter.

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

The defendant is identified as a 29-year-old citizen of Samoa.