Man denies giving his girlfriend a black eye

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On August 11, 2025, a mother called the Leone Police Substation (LPS) and reported that her daughter was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend.

The suspect was arrested and later charged with:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree (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 $1,000.

Court records indicated that on August 11th, at about 11:30 a.m., LPS received a call from a concerned mother (the reporter) regarding her daughter (the victim), who was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend (the suspect).

Police officers were dispatched to the call, and upon arrival, they observed a man walking with a woman on the public road near a church. According to the description given by the dispatcher, it matched the individuals.

The officers stopped and asked them if they had any knowledge about the whereabouts of a man named Aaron.

When the officers asked, the man backed up and ran, and the officers pursued him on foot, eventually apprehending him.

Both the suspect and victim later proceeded to the LPS and were interviewed separately.

According to the victim’s statement, she and her boyfriend (suspect) got into a verbal altercation at her mother’s house. She claimed that her boyfriend suspected that she was “having an affair with another guy”. During their argument, the victim stated that the suspect slapped her twice, which left a big purple bruise on her left eye.

EMS was contacted for medical assistance, and the victim was treated but refused to be taken to the hospital. The officers took photos of the victim’s injured eye for evidence.

After the victim’s interview, the suspect was Mirandized, to which he understood and agreed to provide a statement.

According to the suspect, he did not slap his girlfriend. He claimed that they only had a verbal argument because his girlfriend “had an affair with some random guy based on his suspicion.” The suspect also stated that the victim’s eye was injured by someone else, but not him.

‘The suspect was booked and confined to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available court date.

The defendant is identified as a 42-year-old U.S. national.