Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On August 31, 2024, a concerned mother contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report a 42-year-old male allegedly causing a disturbance and threatening her 13-year-old son by aiming a slingshot at his face.

The defendant was apprehended from his home and later charged with:

Count 1: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both;

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both; and,

Count 3: Endangering the Welfare of a Child, 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 $1,000.

(Individuals involved in the case have not been identified due to a minor being a part of the alleged incident.)

According to the affidavit, on August 31st, at about 11:46 a.m., a female individual called the TPS and claimed a male individual was causing a disturbance in their neighborhood and had threatened her 13-year-old by aiming a slingshot at the child’s face.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival met the victim’s mother where she briefed the officers regarding the incident.

According to the mother of the 13-year-old victim, around 11:00 a.m., her two boys (a 5-year-old and the 13-year-old) were playing soccer when all of a sudden she heard someone yelling profanities in Samoan.

The mother claimed that when she walked outside of her house, she saw her boys running and shouting that the defendant was shooting them with a slingshot. She stated she immediately grabbed her sons’ shirts and pulled them against her to take cover. As she escorted her boys inside the house, she heard a loud bang on the roof of her house.

She further stated during the interview that this is not the first time that the defendant has threatened and cursed at her kids. She noted that he is a neighbor, and that he had just moved in, from Western Samoa.

The 13-year-old victim was then interviewed and he explained that they were playing soccer outside and he heard the defendant yelling out profanities in Samoan at them. He stated that the defendant also asked them “why they were looking at him” in Samoan.

The victim said he walked away, but the defendant pulled out a slingshot and aimed it at his face. He said that’s when he grabbed his brother and ran towards home. The victim stated that the defendant also grabbed a beer bottle and threw it at them, landing in front of them.

The officers proceeded to the defendant’s home where he was apprehended and placed inside the police unit to be transported to the TPS. Police officers also confiscated the slingshot from the defendant.

The defendant was booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 42-year-old citizen of Samoa.