Alleged suspect calls the cops to report assault

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On June 7, 2025, the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call from one of the suspects who allegedly assaulted a man with two other men for allegedly spreading rumors about them stealing from their employer.

All three suspects were arrested but only one of them, Tavita Wilson was charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $50,0000.

According to the court affidavit, on June 7th, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a man (later identified as suspect #2) contacted the TPS in regards to a man (later identified as the victim) that they beat up. The suspect claimed that the victim was spreading rumors about them stealing from their boss.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene they saw four men — three of them standing and one of them who appeared to be bleeding from the facial and head area. All the parties were then transported to the TPS for further investigation.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the victim was interviewed and provided his statement.

According to the victim, he was walking home due to mechanical problems with his personal vehicle. While walking, he was approached by his former colleagues while he was parked in front of their employer’s compound.

The victim continued that the driver exited his vehicle and called out to him to come talk about why he had spread rumors about them stealing from their employer. The victim claimed that he sensed in the driver’s tone of voice and demeanor that he was mad. He turned away to avoid any altercation with the driver and he saw two guys seated in the of the truck jump out of the vehicle and pursue him.

The victim further explained that he ran southbound in an attempt to avoid being caught but he was slow and two of the suspects caught up to him. Tavita Wilson (suspect #2) caught up with him first and hit him with a 2X4 piece of lumber, striking his left forearm area and striking him a second time on the back of his neck and head. He fell on the main road and blacked out temporarily.

The victim recalled that Wilson and suspect #3 were dragging him by his trousers, the waistband and belt, to the side of the road where they continued to kick and punch his head.

The driver eventually caught up with them where he also took part in assaulting him.

On the same day, all three suspects were Mirandized and agreed to provide their statements.

According to suspects #2 & #3, they both claimed that they had been looking for the victim due to him accusing them of stealing from their employer. The main suspect, Wilson stated that he saw the victim walk away and he jumped out of the car and chased him. He stated that he only chased the victim so he could bring him to his boss. Wilson also admitted that he grabbed a 2X4 lumber and hit the victim on his hand and head.

The victim sustained injuries to his facial and head area. He had a two-inch cut at the back of his head, a fractured nose bridge, lacerations all over his facial area, lacerations to the chest area, and minor cuts to the inside of his bottom lip.

The victim was treated at the TPS by EMS and was released. Authorities advised the victim to seek further treatment at the LBJ due to the severity of his injuries. However, the victim decided not to seek further medical treatment.

All three suspects were booked and later transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.