A large amount of marijuana was found in the vehicle driven by two men who shot at a Police vehicle following a chase on the west side of Upolu just before Christmas.
This is just what the Police is prepared to confirm for now, as the investigation into the gun battle during which an officer was shot, continues.
Assistant Police Commissioner, Fauono Talalelei Tapu, told the Samoa Observer that the men are still in Police custody and are scheduled to appear before the Court on 19 January.
Asked if they have been kept in custody because they are a risk to members of the public, Fauono said this was part of the reason.
The other reason is that “this makes it easier to find them when they are needed to appear in court.”
Fauono added that the investigation is continuing and the charges have yet to be confirmed.
“The investigation is being carried out by the Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D),” he said, adding that the request to keep the accused men in custody was made by the Police.
“When the men were searched after the shoot out, the Police found a large amount of marijuana in the vehicle,” said Fauono.
“Illegal weapons were also found during the search.” Fauono was not at liberty to reveal what these weapons were.
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“What I can say is that the men are likely to face charges relating to the possession of narcotics as well as the possession of illegal weapons.”v Last month, the two men allegedly drove into a family’s front yard at Fasito’o-uta, parked their vehicle and waited for the Police vehicle chasing after them to drive in.
When they saw the Police vehicle, they started shooting at it.
One of three Police officers was hit. He was hospitalised but has been discharged.
Back at Fasito’o-uta, members of the family whose front yard became the battle ground for the Police and the suspects; were left badly shaken.
The mother who gave her name but asked for it to be withheld from publication for fear of repercussions from the dealers said her family is lucky that no one was killed.
The woman, her husband, daughter and a grandchild were at home when a vehicle which had been chased by the Police stopped “dangerously close to our front door.”
“As soon as the first vehicle stopped, another car turned in and that’s when the men in the first vehicle started shooting towards the second car,” she said.
“There were three men in the second car and one of them was hit.”
Confused about what was happening, the mother yelled to her daughter to call the Police.
“It was only then that one of the men in the second car yelled out that they are Police officers,” she said.
“I understand that at the time no one was at their right mind because everything was a rush but we would have appreciated some form of indication that these people were police officers.”
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