By NATE KING
Salina Post
A 38-year-old Salina man suffered serious facial injuries on Dec. 27 in an alleged machete attack that took place at his residence in the 400 block of South 12th Street in Salina.
Salina Police Department (SPD)officers arrested 48-year-old Tualagi Masaniai in connection with the alleged attack, charging him with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and criminal threats.
According to SPD Capt. David Villanueva, the altercation occurred between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, following a heated dispute the previous evening on Dec. 26.
"Apparently, there were folks hanging out together. They know each other. There was some alcohol involved and that night before, there was some words between the victim and the suspect," Villanueva said. "The suspect allegedly had threatened the victim with a knife and also had made comments that he would choke the person out, or cause him harm. Fast forward to the next morning [Dec. 27] where the alleged assailant, [Tualagi] came to the house."
According to the SPD report, Masaniai allegedly struck the victim in the face with a machete, creating a vertical laceration extending from the victim’s eye to his nose. Villanueva described the injury as severe, noting that it exposed facial substructures beneath the skin.
The victim was treated for his injuries at Salina Regional Health Center, but his current condition is unknown.
A search of Masaniai’s residence uncovered a machete, described by SPD as a two-and-a-half to three-foot-long bush blade with blood on it. Additional evidence was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle, but SPD has not disclosed further details.
Masaniai was arrested without incident at a South Broadway motel after officers located him based on a prior interaction. Villanueva said that the prior verbal threats, combined with the attack, led to the attempted first-degree murder charge.
The investigation remains ongoing. Villanueva did not release any additional details regarding the exact relationship between the suspect and victim or the number of individuals present during the initial altercation on Friday.
Salina Post will update this more as new information becomes available.