What began as a Father’s Day holiday drinking session allegedly ended with a 40-year-old man being run over with a truck, in what Police will allege was a case of deliberate vehicular homicide. 

Another man, reported to be 38, has been arrested and charged by the Police. 

The victim, who was from Vaiusu, was walking down a road in Nu'u just before sundown on Monday when he was run over by a Isuzu-model heavy-duty truck.

The driver did not return to the scene of the incident but continued to drive down the road, an eyewitness, Michale Mautinei from Nu'u, told the Samoa Observer.

Eyewitnesses said the man who was run over was believed to have been drinking earlier with several men, including a Police and a local source said the man, who later ran him over with his truck, was also drunk. 

The Samoa Observer, which first reported the story, arrived at the scene on Monday morning to find the Police collecting evidence at the scene.

The Police Commissioner, Fuiavailili Egon Keil, refused to answer repeated requests for comment from the Samoa Observer on Tuesday. But he did instead grant interviews to other media outlets. 

He told the Samoa Global News that Police were first contacted for assistance at 5.55pm on Monday evening.

Alleging that the men were known to each other, Fuiavailili added that they are believed to have worked for the same employer and joined others in a group drinking session, making alcohol a factor in the violence. 

The Samoa Observer has learned that the Isuzu-model truck involved has been impounded by the Police and it remains at their Fagali’i compound as investigations continue.