Suspect in 2021 machete attack behind bars

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A man wanted in connection with a machete attack last year is finally behind bars.

Samoa News reports, 42-year-old, James Faaletatau was pulled over for an expired license plate, when drugs were found in his vehicle.

He is the suspect in an incident in Kokoland last year, in which another man was attacked with a machete.

For that incident on February 23rd, 2021 he is charged with 1st-degree and 3rd degree assault.

According to court information, Faaletatau allegedly barged into a neighbor’s kitchen demanding to know why the victim assaulted his brother.

The victim tried to calm him down and explained that he slapped the defendant’s brother during a soccer game, because the brother gave cigarettes and alcohol to the victim’s young nephew and also swore at him.

The victim told police he apologized to Faaletatau for what happened and assured him that it would never happen again. But Faaletatau didn’t accept his apology and was still upset.

The victim said, he was taken by surprise when the defendant struck his right hand with the machete.

The victim spent two days in the hospital for his injuries.

When police went to Faaletatau’s home, he was nowhere to be found.

On May 6th, Faaletatau was identified as the driver of a vehicle police pulled over in Mesepa for an expired license tag. He didn’t have a driver’s license or other form of photo identification on him, resulting in his vehicle being impounded and him being taken to the Tafuna substation for questioning.

During a body search, officers discovered a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance inside the defendant’s pocket.

And a search of the vehicle he was driving led to the founding of a small stamp sized baggie containing a green leafy substance, under the driver’s seat. The crystalline and green leafy substance tested positive for meth and marijuana, respectively.

Faaletatau was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine (meth) and unlawful possession of marijuana.

He is being held without bail.