Man hunted after alleged family disturbance found nearby playing darts

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On September 9, 2025, the Fagatogo Police Station received a call from a man reporting his brother for allegedly causing a disturbance at their home.

The suspect was arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: 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.

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

According to the court affidavit, on Sept. 9th, at around 6:00 a.m., FPS received a call from a man (the reporter) requesting assistance regarding his brother, Tasesa Kuresa (the suspect), alleging that he was causing a disturbance at their residence and damaging their property using a shovel.

Authorities were dispatched to the call, and upon arrival at the scene, they met with the reporter and interview him. He stated that he was shocked to see Tasesa at their residence and approached him to remove him from their property. This was after he had already assaulted a 49-year-old man (later identified as the victim).

The reporter continued that Tasesa punched the victim and used a shovel to pry open the door to one of the rooms at their residence.

Moreover, the reporter informed the officers that there was another recent incident during the weekend when Tasesa threatened to beat up their elderly, bedridden father. The suspect yelled profanities at their father, and he (reporter) called the police, who removed the suspect and took him to jail.

He explained that was why he was shocked when he saw him at their house yelling at the victim, and he rushed to remove the suspect from their property.

After the reporter’s interview, he was asked to get the victim whom the suspect had assaulted. Later, the reporter approached the officers, together with the victim, who identified himself and provided a statement.

According to the victim, he was in his room and he heard someone trying to pry the door open. As he exited his room, he saw Tasesa holding a shovel and prying open the door. He approached the suspect and tried to stop him, but the suspect waved the shovel, which almost hit him. He then slapped Tasesa in the head multiple times in an effort to take the shovel away, but luckily, the reporter came and removed the suspect.

After interviewing both the reporter and the victim, the officers proceeded to locate the suspect, who they found inside a shack not far from the scene where he was playing darts with two other people.

The officers approached the suspect and asked him about what had happened. They then requested that the suspect head to the police station for further investigation, and the suspect agreed.

Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was Mirandized to which he understood and provided a verbal statement.

The suspect stated that he went home after he was released from the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF) early in the morning, to get his clothes but noticed his room had a padlock. He used a rock to try to open the padlock.

Tasesa was asked what he had used the shovel for, and he claimed he had used it to pry the lock open. When he was asked again about what he used the shovel for, the suspect alleged that someone had hit him from behind, and when he turned around, he saw the victim. He tried to hit the victim, assuming he had hit him, but his brother intervened, and he left the house.

The suspect was later booked and confined at the TCF to await the next available sitting of the District Court.