Five men are being detained in custody on charges relating to the armed robbery and shooting that took place outside the Westpac Bank of Tonga branch at the Si'i Kae Ola shopping centre on May 26.

They are Samuela 'Alatini, Tevita 'Alatini, Pita Latu, Lei'ataua Foliaki and 'Opeti Fekau.

In open chambers before Police Magistrate Peau Pifeleti at the Nuku'alofa Central Police Station this morning, it was made known that Samuela 'Alatini is charged with attempted murder, while the remaining four are charged with robbery and abetment to robbery.

Police Prosecutor Mema Latu asked that all accused be further detained in police custody because of the seriousness of the crime involving illegal weapons.

A sixth accused, Tevisi Ma'umalanga, is also charged in relation to the crime because the police alleged that a gun used in the robbery was stolen from his home at Mu'a during a housebreaking earlier on May 23.
 

Rental car

The Police Prosecutor in relating the alleged events prior to the robbery and shooting said on May 24, the accused Samuela 'Alatini went to the E. M. Jones Rental Cars at Poutaha and rented a car.

On Sunday, May 25 he and the other accused went to a plantation at Hofoa, where they went about changing the look of the car. They replaced the car's rental license plate with a taxi plate, put a taxi light on top of the car and installed a tinted glass window.

After disguising the car the accused Tevita drove the car and hid it at a Halaleva home.

Robbery

On Monday morning, May 26, the day of the robbery, Pita Latu collected the three accused Lei'ataua, 'Opeti and Samuela, and drove to the plantation at Hofoa where Tevita was already waiting with the disguised taxi car and two guns.

Four of the accused Samuela, Lei'ataua, 'Opeti and Pita got into the disguised taxi car, while Tevita remained behind with another rental car at the plantation.

When they came to town Pita was the driver, 'Opeti and Samuela had a gun each while Lei'ataua sat as the passenger.

The prosecutor said when the accused arrived at the Si'i Kae Ola Supermarket car park they saw a girl get out of a vehicle with a bag of money to deposit in the bank and 'Opeti got out first with the gun and tried to take the money away.

As they were struggling Samuela got out to aid him with the other gun, and at the same time one of girl's co-worker came to help her and this is when Samuela shot the co-worker in the leg and snatched the bag of money, said the prosecutor.

Serious crime

The Police Prosecutor appealed for the accused to be further kept in police custody because this was a serious crime involving weapons.

He also emphasised this was not the first time this group of men had been accused of such serious crimes. He said that earlier in March this year the men were alleged to have been involved in the robbery of a Chinese delivery truck at Fasi for which they were also being charged.

The Police Magistrate ordered that the men remain in police custody until July 7 when they will hold another chamber meeting.