SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An alleged gang member on trial in the new federal courthouse was shot Monday after lunging at a person on the witness stand, according to the FBI.
“During the trial this morning the defendant went after, engaged the witness stand, and when he engaged the witness at the witness stand, he was shot by the U.S. Marshals Service,” said Mark Dressen the FBI’s assistant special agent-in-charge for the Utah bureau.
“From what I understand, the defendant may have grabbed a pen or a pencil and charged the witness stand at that time,” he said.
Siale Maveni Angilau, aka “C-Down,” was shot multiple times in the chest.
Angilau was still breathing when he was taken away in an ambulance to a local hospital. No one else in the courtroom was injured, including the witness who was on the stand.
Dressen did not comment on how many shots were fired, how many times Angilau was hit, or if there were any stray bullets that ended up in the walls or ceiling of the new courtroom.
Court documents say Angilau is a member of the Tongan Crip Gang.
The shooting occurred inside Judge Tena Campbell’s courtroom on the eighth floor during a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act trial involving the alleged member of the Tongan Crip Gang, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Utah.
Portia Louder was in the courtroom next door about 9:30 a.m. She said she didn’t hear the gunshot but said, “I saw marshals run through our courtroom and say, ‘Somebody has been shot.’”
Louder said she wasn’t allowed to leave for about an hour. On the way out, she said a marshal told her, “It was with the Tongan Crip Gang, I guess. The defendant tried to stab the witness on the stand and I believe the marshal shot him.”
Angilau, 25, is the last of more than a dozen alleged TCG members to stand trial in the ongoing case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The trial started Monday morning. Charges include rackeetering, robbery, carjacking, assault on a federal officer and weapons violations.
In 2011, a jury convicted seven men after a weekslong trial.
Convicted in the case were Eric Kamahele, 24, aka “Smooth”; Mataika Tuai, 22, aka “Fish”; David Kamoto, 24, aka “D-Down”; Daniel Maumau, 25, aka “D-Loc”; Kepa Maumau, 24, aka “Kap-Loc”; and Sitamipa Toki, 28, aka “Tok-Loc.” The jury acquitted David Walsh, 32, aka “D-Nutt.”
Their crimes included robberies, assaults and use of firearms during crimes of violence committed in support of an ongoing criminal organization.
Jurors at the time feared retaliation and wanted assurances from the judge that they would be safe. A note from a juror asking for such assurances nearly caused a mistrial in the case.
The seven men were among 17 suspected TCG members indicted in 2010 under RICO, which prosecutors call a powerful tool for dismantling and disrupting street gangs.
Yellow police tape continued to surround the plaza midday Monday where the entrance to the new courthouse is located. Dressen said the eighth floor would be closed all day. There was no estimate when the rest of the building might be reopened.
“I think the marshals did an exceptional job. They stopped the threat to the witness,” he said.
The new 410,000-square-foot building at the corner of 400 South and West Temple opened just last Monday. It replaced the adjacent Frank E. Moss Courthouse, which was completed in 1905 and hadn’t had any major additions or renovations in 80 years.
SOURCE: KSL
Ongoongo Faka-Tonga / News in Tongan
Fai 'e Tevita Katoa
MahaloŹ»i ne fanaŹ»i Ź»e he US Marshal ha mÄmipa Ź»o e kau kengi Tonga
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – NaŹ»e fanaŹ»i ha taha oku mahaloŹ»i ko e mÄmipa Ź»o e kau kengi Tonga Ź»i he fale hopo foŹ»ou Ź»o e vÄhengá Ź»i he Ź»aho Monité hili Ź»ene Ź»ohofi ha taha ne Ź»i he puha Ź»o e kau fakamoŹ»oní, fakatatau ki he FBI.
NaŹ»e pehÄ Ź»e Mark Dressen ko e fakafofonga makehe Ź»o e FBI ne lolotonga ngÄue Ź»i he tafaŹ»aki ko iá Ź»i Utah, “NaŹ»e Ź»ohofi Ź»e he fakaŹ»iloá lolotonga Ź»o e hopó Ź»i he pongipongí ni, pea Ź»i heŹ»ene faŹ»aki atu ki he tuŹ»uŹ»anga Ź»o e fakamoŹ»oní, pea Ź»i heŹ»ene fetakai ko iá, naŹ»e fanaŹ»i ai ia Ź»e he U.S, Marshal Service”.
NaŹ»á ne pehÄ, “Meí he meŹ»a ko Ä naŹ»e mahino ki aí, mahalo naŹ»e feinga e fakaŹ»iloá ke ne toŹ»o hake ha peni pe peni vahevahe Ź»o hangatonu atu ki he tuŹ»uŹ»anga Ź»o e fakamoŹ»oní Ź»i he taimi ko iá”
“NaŹ»e toutou fanaŹ»i Ź»a Siale MÄveni Angilau, Ź»a ia Ź»oku toe Ź»iloa ko C-Down, Ź»i hono fatafatá.
NaŹ»e kei moŹ»ui pÄ foki Ź»a Angilau Ź»i he taimi naŹ»e Ź»ave ai ia Ź»i he ambulance ki he fale mahaki pÄ he feituŹ»ú. Ne Ź»ikai ke lavea ha taha naŹ»e Ź»i he fale hopó, kau ai Ź»a e fakamoŹ»oni naŹ»e Ź»i he tuŹ»uŹ»angá.
NaŹ»e Ź»ikai ke lave Ź»a Dressen pe ko e foŹ»i fana Ź»e fiha naŹ»e faí, ko e tuŹ»o fiha Ź»a e fana naŹ»e tau Ź»ia Angilaú, pÄ ne Ź»i ai ha ngaahi fana naŹ»e hala Ź»o tau ia Ź»i he holisí mo e Ź»aofí Ź»o e fale hopo foŹ»oú.
Ź»Oku hÄ Ź»i he fakamatala fakamaauŹ»anga ko Angilau ko e meÄmipa Ź»o e kau kengi Tonga.
Ko e fana ko Ź»ení naŹ»e hoko ia Ź»i he loki fakamaauŹ»anga Ź»o Fakamaau Tena Campbell Ź»i he funga vaka 8 lolotonga e hopo ko ia Ź»i he vÄ Ź»o e Racketeer Influence mo e Corrupt Organisation Act fekauŹ»aki mo e tukuakiŹ»i ko ia Ź»o e mÄ mipa Ź»o e Kau Kengi Tongá fakatatau ki he fefine talitali fononga ki he Ź»Åfisi U.S Attorney Ź»i Utah.
Ko Portia Lauder naŹ»e Ź»i he loki hoko maí pea memei ko e 9:30am. NaŹ»á ne pehÄ naŹ»e Ź»ikai fanongo ia ki he pÄ Ź»a e faná ka ne pehÄ, “NaŹ»á ku sio ki he lele Ź»a e Ź»Åfisa sÅtia maŹ»olunga Ź»i loto fale hopo mo ne pehÄ, “Kuo fanaŹ»i e toko taha”
NaŹ»e pehÄ Ź»e Louder naŹ»e taŹ»ofi ia ke Ź»oua naŹ»a mavahe Ź»o ofi Ź»i he houa Ź»e tahá. NaŹ»á ne lave ki hono tala ange Ź»e he Ź»Åfisa sÅtia maŹ»olunga Ź»i heŹ»ene lue mai ki tuŹ»á, Kuó u tui ko e meŹ»a Ź»eni ki he Kau Kengi Tongá. NaŹ»e feinga e fakaŹ»iloá ke hokaŹ»i Ź»aki ha meŹ»a Ź»a e fakamoŹ»oni ne Ź»i he puha pea kuó u tui naŹ»e fanaŹ»i ia Ź»e he Ź»Åfisa sÅtia maŹ»olungá”.
Fakatatau ki he lau Ź»a e U.S. Attorney Office, Ko Angilau, taŹ»u 25, ko e fakamuimui taha ia Ź»o e niŹ»ihi ne hopoŹ»i Ź»i hono tukuakiŹ»i Ź»i he kau kengi Tongá (TCG) Ź»i he keisi Ź»oku lolotonga lele. NaŹ»e kamata e hopó Ź»i he pongipongi Monité. Ko e fakaŹ»iló Ź»oku kau ai Ź»a e ngaahi ngÄue maumau lao, kaihaŹ»a, faŹ»ao fakamÄlohi Ź»o ha kÄ, Ź»ohofi Ź»o ha Ź»Åfisa fakapuleŹ»anga mo e ngaahi maumau lao fekauŹ»aki mo e naunau tau.
Ko e 2011, naŹ»e tautea ai Ź»e he kau sulá ha toko 7 hili ia ha hopo uike Ź»e taha.
NaŹ»e tauteaŹ»i Ź»i he keisi ko Ź»ení Ź»a Eric Kamahele, 24, ne Ź»iloa ko “Smooth”; Mataika Tuai, 22, ne Ź»iloa ko “Fish”; David Kamoto, 24, ne Ź»iloa ko “D-Down”; Daniel Maumau, 25, ne Ź»iloa ko “D-Loc”; Kepa Maumau, 24, ne Ź»iloa ko “Kap-Loc”; peá mo SitamipÄ Toki, 28, ne Ź»iloa ko Tok-Loc.” NaŹ»e tuŹ»utuŹ»uni e kau sulá ke tuku ange Ź»a David Walsh, 32, ne Ź»iloa ko “D-Nutt.”
Ko Ź»enau hiá naŹ»e kau ai Ź»a e kaihaŹ»a, fakamamahi mo e ngÄueŹ»aki Ź»o ha meŹ»afana ki he kaihaŹ»a ko e fakaŹ»aiŹ»ai Ź»o ha kautaha faihia.
NaŹ»e manavahÄ foki e kau sula Ź»o e keisi ko iá naŹ»a Ź»i ai ha fakatanga pea naŹ»a nau fiemaŹ»u ke fakapapauŹ»i ange meí he fakamaaú te nau malu. NaŹ»e meimei hoko ha fehalaaki Ź»i he hopó tuŹ»unga Ź»i ha kiŹ»i fakamatala tohi meí ha taha Ź»o e kau sulá.
Ko e kau tangata Ź»e toko 7 ko iá ko e konga ia Ź»o e toko 17 Ź»oku tukuakiŹ»i ko e mÄmipa Ź»o e TCG ne fakaŹ»ilo Ź»i he 2010 Ź»i he lao ko ia ki he maumau lao mo e ngaahi kautaha fakamoveuveu (RICO) Ź»a ia ne fiemaŹ»u ai Ź»e he kau Ź»Åfisa talatalaakí ha tuŹ»utuŹ»uni fefeka ke veteki mo veuki Ź»aki Ź»a e kengi he hala puleŹ»angá.
NaŹ»e kei takaiŹ»i pÄ Ź»e he tepi engeenga Ź»a e kau polisí Ź»a e falé Ź»i he hoŹ»atÄ Monité Ź»a e feituŹ»u hÅ«Ź»anga ko Ä ki he falehoopo foŹ»oú. NaŹ»e pehÄ Ź»e Dressen ko e loki 8 ia Ź»e tÄpuni Ź»aho kakato ia. Ź»Oku Ź»ikai leva ha maŹ»u pau pe Ź»e fakaava fakakÅ« Ź»a e toenga Ź»o e ngaahi lokí.
NaŹ»á ne pehÄ, “Ź»Oku tui ia ne fakahoko Ź»ehe kau Ź»Åfisa sÅtia maŹ»olungá ha ngÄue maŹ»ongoŹ»onga. NaŹ»a nau taŹ»ofi Ź»a e fakamanavahÄ ko ia ki he fakamoŹ»oní.”
Ko e fale foŹ»ou sikuea fute ko eni Ź»e 410,000 Ź»i he tuliki Ź»o e 400 South mo e West Temple naŹ»e toki huufi pÄ Ź»i he MÅnite Ź»o e uike kuo Ź»osí. Ko e fetongi Ź»o e Fale Hopo Frank E. Moss, Ź»a ia ne kamata ngÄueŹ»aki Ź»i he 1905 peá ne teŹ»eki ke fakahoko ha fakalahi pe ha liliu ki ai Ź»i he taŹ»u Ź»aki Ź»eni Ź»e 80.