Man reports alleged assault after accidently knocking over sale items

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On March 16, 2025, two men walked into the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) and reported that one of them was allegedly assaulted by a man after the victim accidentally knocked down their items being sold by the roadside.

The suspect was later charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony punishable by imprisonment not to exceed five years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor not to exceed six months, a fine of not more than $500 or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $5,000.

According to the court affidavit, on March 16, 2025 at about 11:00 a.m., two individuals walked into the FPS requesting assistance with an altercation that happened the previous day.

The officers observed that the younger individual (later identified as the victim) was injured with a laceration on his forehead and nose, and abrasions on his right knee.

They identified themselves as one being the victim’s father and the other being the victim.

The victim briefed the officers regarding what happened. The victim stated that he had just got off from work and was walking home, and when he got to the bus stop in Fagaalu, he accidentally knocked over a stool that was on the side of the road which had bottles on top of it, which were filled with an unknown substance.

However, none of the bottles shattered. The victim added that he then put the items back on the stool and waved to an unknown individual standing across the street (that he assumed owned the items) as a gesture of apology and continued walking.

Following this, the victim claimed that as he continued walking, when he heard loud shouts of profanities coming from a man who was running towards him from behind. The man was chasing him down with a stick in his hand. The victim stated that he panicked and sprinted away inside the Matafao Elementary campus and attempted to hide from the pursuing man.

However, due to him being large in size, he couldn’t move as quickly as the man who closed the distance in a short matter of time. While being chased, the victim claimed that the man threw the same stick at him.

It wasn’t until he was behind the school’s wave barriers that the suspect cornered him and grabbed rocks. The suspect approached him and punched him repeatedly in the face. The victim claimed that as he was being assaulted, he tried to hide his face until he felt a sharp stinging sensation on his forehead to which he realized he was not being beaten with hands alone but with rocks that the suspect was holding.

After the beating, the victim stated he eased in and out of consciousness while down. He also claimed that he laid there for about half an hour until he managed to stagger his way back home where he was then transported by his mother to the LBJ Hospital to receive treatment.

At around 4:30 a.m., the officers arrived at the residence across from the street where the victim claimed the stool was located. Upon exiting their police unit, the officers were approached by a lady who asked for the purpose of their visit.

The officers gave a description of the man given by the victim and the lady, in her distress, stated that her husband did it only because the kid (victim) knocked down their ‘aliao’ (type of shell food) that was on display for marketing.

Not long into their conversation, she pointed to a man who appeared from behind the bushes stating that was her husband Poutoa Umutaua (suspect).

Umutaua was then Mirandized to which he understood and agreed to make a statement.

The suspect admitted to chasing and assaulting the victim, and also admitted to grabbing rocks, but denied using the rocks. He claimed he was only using the rocks as a scare tactic to stop the victim from running.

Umutaua is identified as a 39-year-old.