Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 4, 2024, an “aiga” bus arrived at the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) transporting two male suspects who allegedly caused a disturbance on the bus.

The two male individuals, Thomas Hafoka and Denis Kirisome, were arrested and both 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 imprisonment and fine.

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

Hafoka’s bail was set at $1,000 and Kirisome’s bail was set at $300.

According to the affidavit, on October 4th, at about 5:45 p.m., a yellow “aiga” bus, with its emergency lights activated, arrived at the FPS. The bus transported several individuals, including three male individuals who were involved in a physical altercation.

Upon the bus’s arrival at the FPS, the visibly distressed bus driver provided a detailed account of the incident to the officers. Additionally, he identified the three male individuals involved in the altercation.

At the FPS, the three male individuals were escorted into separate rooms. Their identities were subsequently confirmed as James Poloa’i (victim), Hafoka Thomas (suspect #1) and Denis Kirisome (suspect #2). Each individual underwent a separate interview session conducted by the attending officers.

According to the victim, while seated near the bus driver, Hafoka approached and proceeded to deliver a forceful kick on the right side of his face, followed by three punches targeting his face and chest. In response, the victim engaged in physical retaliation and that’s when Kirisome became involved.

The accounts by Haloka and Kirisome differ as to who started the altercation.

According to Haloka, Kirisome had thrown a beer bottle at him, resulting in facial impact and prompting his subsequent interaction with the victim.

However, Kirisome claimed that Hafoka initiated the physical aggression towards the victim by kicking him in the face and throwing a series of punches. Kirisome claimed that’s what led to his involvement as he tried to separate the two. He also claimed that he was struck as he was trying to stop the altercation between the victim and suspect #1.

Police officers then conducted an interview with the bus driver (witness), who provided a detailed written statement about the incident.

According to the witness, the victim was seated beside him when an unknown male individual, later identified as Hafoka, wearing a red t-shirt, forcefully kicked the victim in the face. The suspect then proceeded to launch a series of punches in the victim’s direction.

The witness also recounted that another individual (Kirisome), bare-chested, hurled a beer bottle, striking Hafoka in the face which incited a disruption in the bus.

The witness explained that he and other passengers encountered significant difficulty in restraining Kirisome and preventing him from advancing towards Hafoka. He stated that fortunately, no injuries were sustained by any of the passengers during the altercation. However, he explained that passengers’ shopping was damaged during the physical altercation between the three male individuals.

During the booking process of Hafoka and Kirisome, attending officers reported that they detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from their breath and they also observed red, bloodshot eyes.

Hafoka and Kirisome were duly booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendants were identified as Thomas Hafoka, a 25-year-old citizen of Samoa, and Denis Kirisome, a 43-year-old citizen of Samoa.