recent occurrance in pago pago....

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zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
a friend is in pago pgo and reports th news finally reported this incident happened oct 27th..:

They didn't list all of the injuries. Kim ha s2 broken teeth and a broken upper jaw besides what they list.

Two out on probation face felony charges for brutal beating, felonious restraint Wednesday November 2, 2011
By Fili Sagapolutele fili@samoanews.com
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Comments (10)Two men, both on probation from previous crimes, are facing four felony charges for allegedly beating another man on his yacht and trying to strangle the victim - first with a strap and then with an electronic cord.



Jason Muasau and Vatia Tugaga have been charged with one count each of first degree assault, a class A felony punishable by imprisonment for ten to 30 years or life; first degree burglary, a class B felony punishable by five to 15 years imprisonment; and felonious restraint, a class C felony punishable by up to 7 years imprisonment, a fine of $5,000 or both.



The pair is also charged with one count each of resisting arrest, a class D felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment, a fine of $5,000 or both.



Muasau and Tugaga made their initial appearance last Friday in District Court and the pair returned yesterday where the felony charges were filed by the government. Bail for each defendant is set at $100,000 and their preliminary examination hearing is set for next Monday.



Court documents identified Tugaga as George Tulaga but when questioned in District Court at yesterday's hearing the defendant said his legal name is George Tugaga.



According to court documents, a woman called the main police station around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 27 to report that two males were floating on an unknown device and paddling out towards one of the yachts in Pago Bay. The caller was concerned because she knew someone lives on the yacht and their dingy was tied to the yacht.



The witness told police that the two males reached the yacht and climbed aboard and she saw them walking around the boat. The witness then heard screaming and yelling coming from the boat and then heard a lot of noise coming from inside the boat including more muffled screams.



When police arrived on the scene, one officer told the caller that the Marine Patrol boat was on its way.



A Marine Patrol Officer told investigators that officers on the Marine Patrol Boat noticed a wooden log floating near one of the yachts and then heard someone moaning as if they were hurt aboard the same yacht.



As officers turned a spotlight on the yacht, the officers saw Muasau jump off the yacht into the ocean and swim away. The officers called out to Muasau to swim towards the Marine Patrol boat, but the defendant continued to swim away.



Officers managed to reach Muasau who was then pulled into the Marine Patrol boat, but Muasau allegedly resisted them by shaking and pulling his arms away. The officers attempted to detain Muasau, who allegedly continued to physically resist by violently wresting his body away from the officers. Muasau was finally restrained but the defendant allegedly yelled out "I didn't do anything" and swore profanities in Samoan.



Officers then saw Tugaga jump into the ocean and hid between the yacht and a small boat tied to it. The officers told investigators that Tugaga refused to swim toward the Marine Patrol boat. The officers were able to get close to Tugaga and pulled him in to the Marine Patrol but Tugaga also allegedly resisted, but was finally restrained.



The officers then noticed the victim covered in blood crawling from the yacht towards the starboard side. Officers called out to the victim to stay on the boat and that help was on its way.



When questioned by police, the victim said he was asleep on the yacht when he "woke up to someone clubbing the left side of his face," according to court documents, which also state that the victim "received several blows to his face before he was able to defend himself."



The victim "was able to stand up, block a few blows and grab the instrument they were using to beat him," said investigators in court documents.



The victim yelled for help and started pushing and shoving to get out of the yacht but one of the suspects held him while the other showed him a strap by straightening it and then wrapped it around the victim's neck and tried to strangle him while the other held the victim back.



The victim also told police that he was "able to wedge all his fingers between his neck and the strap as he tried to resist," said court documents. "The suspect who was choking him with the strap then dropped it while the other one put [the victim] into a choke hold."



The victim further informed police that he continued to shove to try to get out of the boat and yell for help. At one point, the suspects were able to wrap something else around his neck and continued to strangle him until he lost consciousness just as he saw flashing lights, the court documents allege.



The victim told police that "he remembered thinking, ‘So this is what it is like to die'." When the victim regained consciousness he immediately yelled for help and tried to crawl out into the cockpit of the yacht.



Police were able to interview a male witness, who rowed out to the victim's yacht. As the witness approached the victim's yacht, the witness told police he could hear the victim call out "help me, help me." When the witness reached the victim, "his face was covered with blood and he had an electric cord around his neck.



According to the witness, the victim told him that the assailants had been hitting him with a metal rod they had broken off his tripod. The victim further stated that the assailants had used the metal rod "to twist the cord tightly around his neck."



The victim was taken to LBJ Medical Center for treatment and the attending physician told police that the victim suffered a bruise around the left eye, multiple eye lacerations, a broken tooth, contusions on the left hand wrist, four stitches to the left frontal forehead, 17 stitches to the left ear lobe, three stitches to the left eyebrow and 5 stitches to the left temporal area near the left ear, according to court documents.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
he followed it up with this--sorry thee ar so long--i have been receiving emails from gary about this incident since its occurrance:

"OK I saw Kimball today.

He is doing really good considering I he was almost killed.

If the Cops had been 30 seconds later, they would have had him dead. They had beat him severely on the head and face.

He has had Surgery to fix broken jaw and will have broken teeth fixed. He is still very tired and resting to heal up. They had a cord around his neck with a tourniquet Straggling him He said he saw the Lights of the police boat just as he passed out and was thinking so this is what it is like to die. When the police lights hit the boat the Guys dropped everything and ran and jumped overboard and the police picked them up.

The guys were both on parole from doing some thing bad before. They are not going to charge them with Attempted murder but Felony assault in the 6th degree. Which is good for 10 years to life. The Samoan's are all shocked that this happened."
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
The good news in this is the victim will survive and this type of attack is rare enough to be news.
 
Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Yow.
Treat others as you would have them treat you, is right!
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
the man sailed into pago pago, a place not known for violence. he did not request the violence he received. he only allowed his guard to lower by leaving his boat accessible to individuals from water level.
donot allow your boat to be easily entered.
donot let your guard down.
keep yourself protected at all times out here. even gentle places can turn rude in a heartbeat. this man's only fault was that he DID let his guard down.
is a charactristic of some folks to bash the victim for doing something that the basher feels is "wrong"--like sailing into paradise.
my friend who wrote me the email was 200 ft away at the time of occurrence which was deep dark of night.
do not keep easy access to boat. he left dink down and not lifted. the intruders used that as their entry. the victim's only fault in this was allowing easy access.
his was only boat accessible from water for intrusion by wrong-doers.
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
do not keep easy access to boat. he left dink down and not lifted. the intruders used that as their entry. the victim's only fault in this was allowing easy access.
his was only boat accessible from water for intrusion by wrong-doers.
What do folks do that have a swim platform and/or no davits?
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
I have often suggested a small rug with roofing nails push through from the back and laid at the companion entrance.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
are you able to fold the wim platform up to block entry>.. can you install a board slick enough to repel boarders--- i like ross's idea of tack carpet to place on the entry -- beit companionway or the sugar scoop and swim step--- whatever makes the boat inaccessible from water..and ALWAYS lift dink out of water with a halyard and lift harness or keep it on davits in harbor.
 
Mar 8, 2011
296
Ranger 33 Norfolk
I'm sorry for the guy but good to hear he is alive.

Do any of you have companion way hatches that lock from the inside?
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
is more how to keep em off in first place--his ease of access was lax
his dink was down and was therefore easy to gain access to boat. but the locks inside would help a lot. carpet with tacks.nails as ross described is becoming a prettier and prettier sight to me.....
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Even with shoes on it would stick to the feet and cause mobility problems. With thin shoes or bare feet it would inflict severe and very painfull injury.
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Do these folks generally not have boats they can use to board yours? Seems like leaving the dink down is more a risk for theft, not someone getting aboard.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
these fellas were swimming to the boat. seems that often this is the case, as i have read articles even in florida of folks with malintent swimming to a boat/yacht to enter sans permission. this should be a consideration, as folks are getting desperate for money and greed runs rampant in places with less ability to flaunt their goods those of us from north america are able and all too willing to do .
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
right now i am still in the hurrycame hole named mazatlan in marina mazatlan. i USUALLY anchor out. i PREFER to anchor out. the anchorage here in mazatlan is not safe in high winds as holding suxxx, per the natives. if i dont leave maz to head south by nov end,i will go to anchoring again.
my friend who sent this info about pago pago is anchored within 200 ft of the victim in the assault.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
from latitude 38

Cruiser Attacked in Pago Pago

November 7, 2011 – Pago Pago, American Samoa

Disturbing news has come out of Pago Pago, American Samoa. According to the Samoa News, as well as independent cruiser reports, on October 27, Kimball Corson was savagely beaten aboard his Lake Pleasant, AZ-based Fair Weather Mariner 39 Altaira by two assailants. The two suspects were seen paddling what appears to have been a piece of floating dock on Pago Bay toward Altaira around 11:30 p.m. The witness called police because she knew Corson, 70, lived aboard.

Authorities say that after boarding the boat, the men — both in their early 20s and both on probation from previous crimes — found Corson asleep below and began beating him. Corson reported that he was trying to fight off the attack when one of the men wrapped a strap around his neck and started choking him, but that he was able to wedge his fingers between the strap and his throat. As Corson continued to struggle, the suspects reportedly dropped the strap and wrapped an electrical cord around his neck. He told police that he remembered thinking, "So this is what it's like to die."

In the meantime, the local marine patrol had reached Altaira. According to the police, both suspects jumped off the boat, and one started swimming away, while the other hid between Altaira and her dinghy. Both were apprehended, though police say both resisted. Corson was whisked to the hospital, where he was treated for broken teeth, a broken upper jaw, and multiple bruises and lacerations, receiving a total of 29 stitches to his head. According to one cruiser report, he'll be staying with friends ashore before moving back to Altaira.

The two suspects, Jason Muasau and Vatia Tugaga, have each been charged with first degree assault, first degree burglary and felonious restraint, as well as resisting arrest — all felonies. Bail has been set at $100,000 for each. There is no known motive.

The attack has sent shockwaves through the cruising community, as Pago Pago is well known as a friendly and welcoming port. One cruiser identified only as Gary said, "Nothing like this ever happened here before. All the cruisers are in shock. This is the friendliest place we have ever been — really nice, helpful people and I'm sure they will not go easy on guys that go against the traditions. This place is still far safer than any place in the U.S."


- latitude / ld
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Re: from latitude 38

Any word on Kimball Corson's condition? I doubt that he will eat solid food very soon.
 

zeehag

.
Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
gary sed he is improving but last i heard was friday or thu last week--still waiting on more news.
 

Ross

.
Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
gary sed he is improving but last i heard was friday or thu last week--still waiting on more news.
They have up to date quality medical care there?
 
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