One of the two men who attacked a shopkeeper at Lotopa has been turned in to the Police by his parents while his accomplice was captured after a manhunt on the same day.

Police Commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo confirmed the men were identified and remanded in custody on Wednesday night. 

Auapaau said the parents of one of the two men turned him in at the Faleata Police Station after they identified him from a CCTV video of the incident that was circulated on social media. 

He said the other male offender, also from Vailoa was captured by the Police later in the night during their search. 

“They are facing charges of robbery and additional charges will follow after at the completion of the investigation,” said the Police Commissioner in an interview with the Samoa Observer. 

“One of them is a reoffender of theft-related offence while the other has no previous convictions…they are in their 20s.” 

The Wong's Store next to Ah Yen Motors on Papaseea Road was targeted by the two men, who wanted to buy cigarettes and soft drinks and pounced on the unsuspecting shopkeeper. 

The men went into the store to purchase cigarettes and soft drinks but had no money to pay for the goods.

Ruta Mikaele, a work colleague of the shopkeeper who took over the cashier shift, said the crime occurred earlier in the morning and her colleague was a new employee who had just started work on Monday this week. 

“The men were signalling at each other when they stood in front of the cash register and my colleague thought they were just having a casual conversation,” said Ms. Mikaele. “It all happened so fast with one man moving to her back putting a wet cloth around her mouth and holding her down. 

"While they were struggling the other guy took the cigarettes and soft drink and ran off. At this time my colleague fell down and the guy who was still inside tried to open the cash register but he wasn’t able to do so because it was locked.” 

Ms. Mikaele said it was the sound of the back door opening by one of their Asian colleagues which alerted the other culprit who panicked and ran out of the shop. 

“I think if the men thought the person coming from the back was a man,” she said. “She [the victim] was quite shaken about this because this is her first week working with us. 

"She said the wet cloth that they put in her mouth had an acidic taste…she had to drink something sweet to get rid of the taste.”

The attacked shopkeeper didn't sustain any serious injury during the struggle with the criminals, according to Ms. Mikaele, while confirming that a bag belonging to the robbers was found outside the shop and had a knife inside.