Drunk Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening His Roommates with Knife

Pago Pago - AMERICAN SAMOA

On April 3, 2025, a man contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report that his subtenant allegedly tried to forcibly enter his and his lover's bedroom, and had walked around with a knife threatening them.

He was arrested and later charged with:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300.00, or both; and,

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300.00, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $1,000.00.

According to the court affidavit, on Apr. 3rd, at about 10:01 p.m., an individual (reporter/ victim #1) contacted the TPS to report a man walking around inside their home with a knife. 

The reporter alleged that the man (later identified as the suspect) tried to open their room door inside their apartment.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene made initial contact with the reporter. 

According to the reporter, he stated that they (victim #1 & victim #2) stayed together with the suspect in the same apartment. He explained that the suspect came to their apartment, shook their door and tried to open it while he was highly intoxicated. The suspect also was walking around inside their apartment with a small knife and he felt scared because the suspect might do something bad to them. At that point, he immediately called the police for assistance. 

The reporter/ victim #1 identified the suspect as Filipo Fa’aola because they lived in the same apartment. After the reporter briefed the officers regarding the incident, he pointed out where the suspect was. 

The police officers went into the apartment and knocked on the suspect’s bedroom door. When approaching the suspect, the officers informed him of the allegations against him and the call they received regarding his causing a disturbance. The officers apprehended the suspect, who was standing in front of his bedroom door. 

The suspect was placed inside the police unit, and the officers detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from him.

The officers approached victim #2, where he stated that he came home from shopping and the suspect was sitting in front of the door of their apartment. The suspect confronted him by saying he loved him. Victim #2 claimed that he ignored the suspect and went straight into his room but the suspect followed him into the room  and asked if they could sleep together. He told him “no and to go get some rest”.

He walked out of the room with victim #1 and told the suspect again to stop bothering them and that’s when they saw the suspect holding a knife. Victim #2 claimed that the suspect was angry and caused the disturbance by shaking their door and trying to get inside their room with a knife.

Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was booked and later transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to be confined to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 40-year-old citizen of Samoa.