Man allegedly punches girlfriend who tried to break up fight

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On May 27, 2025, a victim of a domestic dispute contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) to report that she was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

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

Count 2: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $1,000.

Court records stated that on May 27th, at around 10:20 p.m, TPS received a call from a woman (the victim) stating that her boyfriend was allegedly causing a disturbance— yelling profanities in Samoan and also assaulting the victim by punching her twice in the face.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene they met up with the victim who briefed them regarding the incident. Another officer also interviewed one of the victim’s family members (the witness) who gave a brief verbal statement regarding what happened.

Authorities then met up with the victim where he was apprehended and placed inside the police unit.

According to the victim’s statement, her boyfriend (suspect) got into a fight with another man and she went outside to stop the fight. As she was trying to stop them, the suspect punched her in the face twice and cursed at her in Samoan.

She pushed him back against the wall and told him that she was going to call the police on him.

The witness confirmed what the victim said had happened — that he had seen the victim assaulted by the suspect inside their room, and the suspect had punched the victim in the face and in her body. The victim then pushed him against the wall. The witness also confirmed that the suspect was yelling out profanities and when the situation was getting out of control, he called the police station for help.

The suspect was later transported to the TPS for further investigation. Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was Mirandized where he understood and refused to make a statement.

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