Man allegedly makes threats in the village

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 4, 2025, the Tafuna Police Substation received a call regarding an older man who was allegedly causing a disturbance and threatening to shoot someone.

The man was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $600, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Tampering in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $1,000.

According to the court affidavit, on July 4th, at around 3:01 p.m., a man (later identified as the reporter) contacted the TPS regarding Antonio Mako (later identified as the suspect) who was allegedly causing a disturbance in Ottoville.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene, they saw the suspect standing next to Vailuu company trucks while holding a can of beer. The officers detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the suspect’s clothing and breath.

The officers apprehended Mako and placed him inside the police unit. The officers later met up with the reporter and he briefed them regarding what happened.

According to the reporter, he was asleep when he heard someone causing a disturbance by yelling profanities and the Samoan war cry (fa’aūmu) in front of the road. He walked over to see what was happening and saw that it was Mako.

He saw Mako walking towards one of the company trucks, get inside it and turn it on. The reporter stated that he walked over and told Mako to get out of the truck but Mako refused and threatened to shoot him in the head.

The reporter continued that he pulled the suspect outside from the truck and told him to go away. He also informed the officers that he didn’t want to do anything to the suspect so he called the TPS for assistance. The reporter later revealed that he works for the Vailuu company.

The reporter’s wife (later identified as the witness) was present during the incident. She stated that she followed her husband and she saw Mako yelling profanities. She also confirmed that she heard the suspect threatening her husband.

The officers transported the suspect to the police station for further investigation and Mako was Mirandized upon arrival at the station. The suspect understood his rights and agreed to make a statement.

Mako stated that he always hangs out around the company area. He claimed that he watches the trucks because the workers always leave all the truck keys inside.

Mako denied causing any disturbances but admitted to threatening the reporter. However, he told officers he doesn’t own a firearm and he didn’t mean what he said to the reporter.

The suspect was later booked and confined to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await his appearance in the District Court.

An investigation later revealed that several calls were made by business owners in Ottoville requesting assistance to make Mako go away. He is known for causing disturbances around a certain store, wanting to buy more beer when he’s already drunk.

The defendant is identified as a 60-year-old citizen of Samoa.