Man tries to board plane with a firearm and ammunition

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 14, 2025, the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call from Airport security regarding a man who was allegedly carrying a gun and ammunition while boarding the airplane.

He was apprehended and later charged with:

Count 1: Possession of Unlicensed Arms, 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: Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 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 $2,000.

According to the court affidavit, on July 14th, at around 10:40 p.m., Airport security contacted the TPS and reported that they had a man in custody who was allegedly carrying a firearm in an attempt to board an outbound flight.

Authorities responded to the call and upon arrival at the airport, they met up with airport police who guided them into the airport office. The officers met with an airport official who stated that the suspect, identified as Lionel Vaitautolu, was trying to board the airplane while in possession of a firearm, several rounds of ammunition and an empty magazine.

The airport official further stated that the said items were discovered when Airport TSA staff scanned the suspect’s carry on luggage. The firearm was inside a gun holster and the ammunition rounds were inside of a pocket pack case.

The affidavit also noted that the firearm was an empty Dan Wesson Arms Model Magnum revolver, with a .357 Cartridge (.357 caliber revolver). The rounds of ammunition consisted of six .38 Winchester rounds, one of which was a hollow point round, and five.357 magnum hollow point rounds. The empty magazine was a Ruger BX 25, 25-round magazine.

Police seized the firearm and transported him to the TPS for further questioning. The investigation later revealed that the weapon was unregistered.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the suspect spontaneously explained that his mother had Alzheimers and had probably put the firearm inside his bag without his knowledge.

The suspect was Mirandized to which he understood and refused to make a statement.

He was transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 38-year-old U.S citizen.