Young child tells cops that her father “punched my mommy”

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On May 3, 2025, at approximately 3:04 pm, a woman and her 7-year-old child were escorted to the Tafuna Police Substation by another female. Police officers observed the woman continuously crying and bleeding heavily from the mouth. While officers attended to the woman's injuries, they noticed a man entering the building. The woman confirmed that he was her husband and the suspect/ defendant in the matter.

The defendant was charged with one count of Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1000, or both, but not less than $150.

(Samoa News has withheld the names of those involved to protect the identity of the minor involved.)

Officers immediately contacted EMS to assist with the victim’s laceration on her lower lip. Before officers interviewed the victim, the child shared with police officers that her father allegedly “punched my mommy on the face inside the car.”

The victim verbally stated that she and her husband made plans to shop after she got off of work. They stopped at multiple stores before stopping at Carl’s Jr. to eat. The victim stated that as they were eating, she remembered they needed clothes to wear on their way back to Apia. She then left the restaurant to shop at Laufou.

When she returned to Carl’s Jr., she noticed that her husband looked angry and his face was flushed. He confronted her, yelling profanities because he felt she was taking too much time, especially since they had borrowed a vehicle from a family friend.

The victim claims that her husband stormed off, leaving her in the restaurant with her daughter to grab the shopping bags. She stated that she and her daughter followed her husband to the car and sat in the back seat. She explained how she told him that his behavior was uncalled for and that she was embarrassed because everyone in Carl’s Jr. had stared at them.

The suspect continued to swear at the victim in the presence of their daughter, even as the victim requested not to use “obscene words” in front of their daughter.

The victim stated that the suspect then “pulled to the side of the road near TCF and punched her with a closed fist on her mouth.” Afterwards, the suspect continued to drive to their home.

The victim stated, “as they were approaching the ASPA roundabout, she decided to open the car door and jump out, then she waved down the vehicle behind to help her.” She asked the driver to drop her off at the TPS.

The EMS arrived at the TPS at around 3:25pm and transported the victim to the hospital for further treatment of her injuries.

The suspect was Mirandized and agreed to make a statement regarding the incident.

The suspect stated that he picked up his wife from work to do their shopping. He explained that he was “infuriated with his wife because she was taking her time with their shopping.” He shared that as they were on their way home, his wife was yelling at him and slapping him nonstop while he was driving and he was “in disbelief when the wife jumped out of their vehicle and hopped into another vehicle.” He followed the vehicle to the TPS.

The suspect was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The suspect was identified as a 32-year-old citizen of Samoa.