Traffic stop nets man with active warrant in alleged knife assault

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of causing serious bodily harm to another man at the beginning of this year is now in custody after he was arrested during a traffic stop last month, in which they discovered illegal drugs inside the vehicle and on the defendant.

It was during this investigation that the defendant in this case —Vainalepa Mulifusi was found to have an active warrant under his name for his involvement in an assault case that occurred in Nu’uuli, at the beginning of this year.

The government stated that on the night of Jan. 30, 2022, a man called and requested police assistance regarding a stabbing in front of his parent’s house in the Nu’uuli area. The caller also requested medical assistance at the scene. 

On the scene, police found an injured man sitting on the ground, bleeding, while the caller was applying pressure to the wounds. The suspect had apparently fled the scene before cops arrived.

According to the witness, the victim sustained multiple defensive wounds on his back, his right arm and a puncture wound on his chest, which was covered with blood. The victim was immediately transported to the hospital for treatment.

Officers returned to the scene to locate the suspect but were unsuccessful. Police also tried to locate the suspect at his home but to no avail.

Three witnesses — two males and a female were interviewed by the police regarding the incident. The three witnesses and the victim are family members who live in the same house.

Police investigation disclosed that according to a statement from witness #1, they were inside the house watching television when a red pickup truck pulled up in front of their house around 10am on January 30.

A man exited the passenger side and walked to the back of their house calling out the victim’s name to come out. The man who exited the vehicle was later identified as Vaina, a.k.a Vainalepa Mulifusi, the defendant in this matter. The defendant is a friend of the victim.

The pickup truck left the house leaving the defendant behind.

Witness #1 walked outside and saw the defendant standing at the garage holding a beer can in his right hand. The witness asked the defendant what he wanted, and the defendant replied he want to speak to the victim about something private. The victim was not at the house at the time.

Witness #2 told police he also came out of the house and asked the defendant why he was there, drunk, and instructed the defendant to leave the house.

The defendant refused to leave and begged witness #1 to let him speak to the victim before he would leave.

It was during the conversation between the defendant and witness #2 that the victim approached them and immediately asked witness #2 to go inside the house and let him talk to the defendant privately.

The victim and the defendant were left alone outside the house talking to each other while all the three witnesses were watching from inside the house.

As the victim and the defendant were talking, the defendant turned around and punched the victim in the face causing the victim to fall.

While the victim was lying on the floor, the defendant continued to throw punches at his face and kick him in the chest and the back. According to witness #1, that was when the defendant pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed the victim in the chest, back and his arm.

The defendant quickly fled the scene when he saw witnesses exit the house and run towards him. The defendant ran to the bushes and disappeared.

Investigators were able to retrieve a knife about 10 inches long that fit the description the defendant had given them. There was blood on the knife.

Police continued to look for the defendant over the next few months but it wasn’t until last month when traffic police pulled over a speeding vehicle in Matu’u, that they finally apprehended the defendant, who was the driver of the vehicle.

The defendant did not possess a driver’s license or any photo identification to prove his identity; and for that reason, officers took him along with his vehicle to the TPS for further investigation.

A body search was conducted per usual and police discovered two glass pipes containing white crystalline substance, inside the driver’s right pocket of his pants.

Detectives of the DPS Vice and Narcotics Unit were notified about the incident.

An inventory search was conducted of the vehicle at the TPS in the presence of the defendant, and a small stamp-sized baggie containing a green leafy substance was found lying on the floor of the vehicle underneath the driver’s seat.

The white crystalline substance tested positive for meth, while the green leafy substance tested positive for THC, the active compound in marijuana.

Mulifusi made his initial appearance in Court last month.

The government has filed two separate cases against Mulifusi.

In the first case, the defendant is charged with one count of 1st-degree assault, a class A felony and one count of armed with a dangerous weapon, a class D felony.

In the second case, the defendant is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both unclassified felonies, punishable by imprisonment of not less than five nor more than ten years, a fine of up to $20,000 or both.

Bail is set at $30,000.