Woman allegedly hit by her boyfriend in front of her children

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 19, 2024, a female individual reported to the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) that her sister was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend in front of her kids.

The defendant was arrested and charged with:

Count 1 & 3: 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; and,

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree ( As a C Misd.) (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $10,000.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identities of the minors involved in this case.)

According to the court affidavit, on Nov. 19, at about 4:52 p.m., TPS received a call from a female individual (reporter) reporting that her older sister (victim) was assaulted by her boyfriend (suspect).

The reporter stated that the suspect slapped her sister and then choked her in front of her children at their home.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival, they approached the reporter who briefed them regarding the incident, including pointing out where the defendant was last seen.

When approaching a nearby store, the officers observed a man fitting the description provided by the reporter, and when the man saw the officers he immediately took off running behind the bushes. The officers gave chase but the defendant was nowhere to be seen.

According to the reporter’s verbal statement, she saw the defendant slap her sister in the face and then choke her while her kids were inside the house. The reporter stated she immediately approached the defendant to calm him down and he pushed her down. At this point, her husband jumped in to protect her and he ended up fighting with the defendant.

The officers also interviewed the victim where she voluntarily provided a written statement and verbally explained what happened. She stated that she got into an argument with her boyfriend and he was out of control.

The victim explained that he confronted her and choked her in front of her kids. She also stated that her little sister and her husband tried to stop the defendant.

It was also reported that this has been and ongoing issue between the victim and her boyfriend.

At about 5:45 p.m., police officers observed the defendant walking around in the Mapusaga Fou area and immediately approached the defendant and apprehended him.

The suspect was transported to TPS for further investigation.

Upon arrival at the station, the defendant was booked.

He was later transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to be confined awaiting the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is a US National.