Man who allegedly tried to stab his girlfriend now in custody

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of attempting to stab his girlfriend with a kitchen knife is now in custody after being arrested last week.

Soni Asiasiga made his initial appearance before District Court Judge, Gwen Tauiliili-Langkilde.

He is charged with one count of 2nd degree assault, a class D felony and two counts of 3rd assault, both class A misdemeanors.

Bail is set at $10,000.

THE ALLEGATION

The government alleges that around 2:03p.m on Dec. 6, 2021, a woman contacted the Fagatogo Central Police Station requesting police assistance regarding an ongoing peace disturbance at her residence in Aua. Several police officers responded to the call and met up with a little girl, who is 10 years old, and she directed them to the house, stating that her grandma was the one who called.

At the same time, the little girl told the officers that she saw her father (mother’s boyfriend) choke her mother with his bare hands and try to stab her with a butter knife.

The boyfriend was later identified as Soni Asiasiga, the defendant in this matter.

Other officers continue their investigation into the matter and interviewed the victim and other witnesses, while other officers were sent out to locate the suspect.

The elderly woman who contacted police for assistance told cops that she heard Asiasiga knocking on the door yelling, “aumai la’u paipa” meaning, “bring my pipe”. The reporter also stated to police that it was a pipe for ‘ice’ or ‘meth’. She further stated that Asiasiga was pounding on the door saying he was going to kill his girlfriend if she does not open the door and starting using profane words in Samoan.

While interviewing the reporter, the little girl jumped in and told officers that her father usually hides his pipe for drugs in the closet, but she could not find it. The little girl also stated that she was carrying her little sister right outside the room when she heard her father choking her mom and yelling profanities at her.

The little girl told officers that her mother tried to push Asiasiga away but he managed to pull her by her neck, and tried to stab her with a knife.

Officers were able to locate the defendant sitting outside a neighbor’s house and quickly apprehended him.

While another officer was looking for the knife, the little girl told officers that they have a lot of kitchen knives and she could not tell which one was used by her father.

Officers were able to interview the victim about what allegedly happened between her and the suspect. According to the victim, she opened the door to her boyfriend because he got loud, and threatening. Then, her boyfriend rushed in to choke her with his bare hands and tried to stab her with a knife.

The victim told officers that she was not expecting her boyfriend to be aggressive and that he kicked her in the mouth 5 times. When the victim tried to get up, her boyfriend choked her while pushing her against the wall and yelling profanities at her.

The victim sustained minor injuries but refused to go for medical treatment.

The defendant was Mirandized and he waived his rights and agreed to make a statement. According to the defendant, he was mad because his girlfriend scolded him to make lunch or the evening meal, but there was no food in the kitchen. Things escalated when his girlfriend yelled at him.