Woman yelling profanities allegedly assaults her sister

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On December 4, 2025, a minor called the Leone Police Station seeking assistance regarding a suspect who allegedly assaulted her sister

The suspect resisted arrest but was later apprehended and charged with:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine not to exceed $300, or both;

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor, but with a penalty enhancement to one class above the other class, otherwise provided a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment not to exceed five years, a fine not more than five years, or both; and,

Count 3: Resisting Arrest, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine not to exceed $1,000, or both.

The defendant was held without bail.

Filed on Dec. 5, 2025, according to the court affidavit, a minor (later identified as the reporter) called the LPS, alleging that Moana Iolama was disturbing the peace and yelling profanities at her sister and mother.

The reporter also noted that the suspect assaulted her sister with a 6-foot metal pole during their verbal altercation.

Police officers proceeded to serve the call and, upon arrival, observed a woman standing outside a white wood home. The lady, later identified as the victim, looked irritated and sweaty while she smoked a cigarette.

The officers approached the victim and inquired about her identity, and also asked the victim if this was her home. The victim was interviewed and provided both verbal and written statements, after which she pointed in the direction the suspect had headed.

The officers executed a foot search and spotted the suspect behind the house, who was immediately pursued. The suspect resisted arrest and tried to pull her hands away from the officers as they tried to guide her towards the police unit. All the while, the suspect screamed profanities, and telling the officers to “leave her alone”.

More officers had to intervene to help apprehend the suspect, and as the suspect noticed the other officers approaching, she yelled out profanities at them, and threatened the officers.

The suspect was arrested and transported to the LPS. While in the police unit, she continued to scream out profanities and throw a fit.

After the officers checked on the family to see if they needed medical assistance, they returned to the station with the suspect in custody.

The victim was interviewed at the station. She stated that at around 5:00 p.m., her sister was seen walking home, yelling profanities, while the victim and her nieces were cleaning the yard. While she was weeding, she heard her mother calling out to her sister in Samoan telling her to keep her voice down. However, the suspect answered back and told her mother to shut up.

The incident escalated when as she was doing her chores, the suspect appeared out of nowhere and began bothering her about past issues, prompting a verbal altercation. Her sister then grabbed a 6-foot piece of metal pipe from a broken swing and hit her in the back.

The victim stated she got angry and fought back.

There were no physical injuries observed on the victim, and she also refused medical assistance.

Authorities also interviewed a witness at the house, who stated that she and her grandchildren were doing chores when they heard someone yelling profanities loudly from the road near their home. When she went over to see who it was, she found it was her eldest daughter, Moana Iolama (suspect). She called out to her daughter to keep her voice down, but was met with a disrespectful reply.

She further explained the suspect then approached her other daughter (victim), who was cleaning the yard, and started a verbal argument. She saw the suspect walking over to the victim, picking up a pipe, and hitting the victim on the back. The victim got up and got into a physical fight with her sister.

The investigation later revealed that the suspect was currently on probation and was always causing trouble.

The suspect was Mirandized and refused to make a statement without a lawyer. She was later booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await her court appearance.

The defendant is identified as a 28-year-old citizen of Samoa.

[Editor’s Note: An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court. It is not a court decision. Under local law, defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty by the court. ra]