Suspect arrested for allegedly assaulting a man with a rock

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Solomua Vitale was arrested by police last month and taken into custody after he assaulted a man in Mesepa using a rock.

Vitale, who has a previous assault conviction where he assaulted a taxi driver in front of a store in Leone, appeared in Court last month for his initial appearance.

When he was arrested a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance was found inside his pants pocket, along with a half marijuana joint found inside his wallet.

The government claims that on the evening of May 13, 2022 about 7:23p.m, an off-duty police officer contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) requesting police assistance regarding a man who sustained severe head injuries in Mesepa after a man struck his head with a rock.

Several police officers responded to the call and met up with the off-duty officer at the scene. There was also a crowd of people at the scene when police arrived.

The victim was taken to the LBJ Tropical Medical Center by private vehicle before officers arrived.

The off-duty officer told investigators that she was on her way to the store when a woman called out to her and asked for assistance. The woman told her she needed police assistance regarding her brother who sustained severe head injuries after being assaulted by Mua.

Mua was later identified as Solomua Vitale, the defendant in this matter.

Neither the victim nor the woman who asked the off-duty officer for help were at the scene when officers arrived.

Investigators were able to interview the victim and his sister at LBJ about what happened.

According to the victim’s sister’s statement to investigators, the incident happened in Mesepa, and she was the driver of their vehicle when they headed up a dirt road across from the Mormon temple to drop off her sister and her children.

She said prior to reaching their destination, they saw two men probably in their 30s standing at the side of the road — each holding a beer bottle. One of them was the defendant.

The area was dark and it was also raining that night. As their vehicle passed the truck, they heard the defendant yell out to them to dim the car’s headlights.

She noted that while they continued to drive-by, her sister, who was in the car told the male to leave the area and to not make any noise due to families around the area. 

It was on their way back to the main road that the male that had cussed at them was seen standing in the middle of the road, waving at them to stop their vehicle. Her brother (victim) instructed her to continue driving, however, she decided to stop the vehicle after she saw the man holding a rock in his right hand while standing in the middle of the dirt road in an effort to stop their vehicle.

As they pulled over, the victim’s sister saw the male with the rock in his hand approach the passenger’s side where her brother was sitting. The man asked the victim to come out of the vehicle so that they could discuss something important. The victim agreed and stepped out of the vehicle and asked the man what issue he wanted to discuss.

Without a word, the male allegedly punched the victim causing the victim to fall on the ground. The man then struck the victim’s head with a rock, causing a huge laceration. He also kicked the victim on his side and back.

The male then turned around and quickly ran across the dirt road and immediately disappeared.

 The victim’s sister started calling out for help, while helping the victim. She then went to the store looking for a phone to call 911 and that’s when she saw an off-duty police officer she knew and immediately explained what happened and asked the off-duty officer to call for police assistance.

Investigators also questioned the victim about the alleged incident after he was treated at the LBJ hospital where he echoed his wife’s statement, including being struck on the back of his head by a male with a rock on their way back to the main road. He also confirmed that he didn’t know the male or recognize his face. He had never seen him before.

Officers went back to the scene in an effort to locate the suspect in this matter.

In the meantime, the family member of the victim who told the two men who were drinking beer at the dirt road to leave the area, was already in the area looking for the suspect.

The suspect was nowhere to be found, however, last month, cops received a tip from the victim’s family member saying that the person who assaulted the man in Mesepa a month ago was living in Ottoville with his uncle.

Investigators went to a residence in Ottoville in an effort to locate the suspect. As they approached the residence, a male walked over and asked investigators who are they looking for. Investigators said they’re looking for a man by the name of Solomua Vitale.

The man told investigators that he’s Vitale. Investigators then told Vitale that they needed to speak to him regarding a matter that was reported to their office last month regarding a man who allegedly assaulted another man with a rock in Mesepa.

Vitale was hand cuffed and transported to the TPS for questioning. Before he was taken into custody, he was patted down for weapons or contraband.

During a body search, officers discovered illegal drugs inside Vitale’s left pocket and his wallet.

When asked about the incident, Vitale refused to offer any statement to investigators. He further refused to cooperate with investigators who were processing his booking form. He was later booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF) to await the next sitting of the Court.

The illegal drugs were tested with the white crystalline substance found  positive for meth and the green leafy substance found positive for THC/ marijuana.

Vitale, 35, appeared in Court last month for his initial appearance.

He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both unclassified felonies; along with one count of 2nd- degree assault, a class D felony, punishable by terms of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Bail is set at $15,000.

BACKGROUND

In 2018, Vitale was convicted of 3rd-degree assault and trespass and was sentenced by the District Court to two years probation. He was ordered to serve 45 days at the Territorial Correctional Facility as a condition of his probation. Vitale punched his aunt’s husband and struck his head with a piece of lumber during a drinking session.