Third Suspect Arrested In East County Assaults

LEMON GROVE, CA — A third suspect has been arrested in connection with a series of assaults in East County that left three people injured in February, authorities said.

Eugene Vaimagalo Sotoa, 49, was arrested Tuesday in La Mesa following a months-long investigation, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. He is accused of assaulting a man and two women during the Feb. 28 incident.

Deputies were called shortly after 1:30 a.m. that day to the 7600 block of Broadway in Lemon Grove, where a man reported waking up injured on a bus bench with no memory of what had happened. Surveillance video showed two men punching and kicking the victim and knocking him unconscious, the sheriff's office said.

During the same incident, another man confronted a woman and her adult daughter. The man allegedly punched the woman several times in the face and then punched her daughter when she tried to stop the attack, according to the sheriff's office.

Both women told investigators the man pointed a black handgun at them before they ran away and called 911.

Detectives identified Sotoa and two other suspects, Joseph Lafaele, 34, and Leetama Sylvas, 39. Lafaele and Sylvas are accused of assaulting the male victim, while Sotoa is accused of participating in that attack and assaulting the two women, officials said.

Lafaele and Sylvas were arrested July 29. Lafaele was booked on suspicion of battery causing serious bodily injury, participating in a criminal street gang and committing a felony while on bail.

Sylvas was booked on suspicion of robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, battery causing serious bodily injury and participating in a criminal street gang.

They were both booked into the San Diego Central Jail.

Detectives and deputies served a search warrant Tuesday in the 7700 block of High Street in La Mesa, where Sotoa was arrested without incident, authorities said.

Sotoa was expected to be booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and participating in a criminal street gang.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call the sheriff's office at 858-868-3200 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 888-580-8477.