HONOLULU -- A police officer who shot a homeless woman in early April was put on the witness stand Monday.

He said the woman lunged at him with a metal skewer just before she was shot and hit with a Taser by officers who surrounded her.

A defense attorney tried to get the charges against the woman thrown out, saying she was just trying to get away when she was shot.

Yvonne Arsisto, 45, entered court still recovering from a bullet wound to the intestines. In early morning April 3 she pointed a skewer and a metal pipe at a security guard who called police.

The first officer there told her not to be afraid and pulled out his non-lethal Taser.

He told prosecutors Monday based on his training and experience he thought the graduated steps of force called for use of the Taser.

Three other officers arrived, including a 10-year veteran Kevin Takehara.

"She was yelling, screaming, waving her weapons around, making slashing and stabbing motions to the officers," Takehara said.

After the four officers surrounded her, Arsisto apparently pulled her shopping cart all the way towards this right turn lane and that's when she apparently lunged at two of the officers.

"At that point, fearing for the safety of the other officers and myself, I deployed the Taser," Takehara said.

Takehara was not asked why he fired his gun instead.

The judge ruled anything about the shooting itself irrelevant to the terroristic threatening charges against Arsisto.

Her attorney argued that she didn't threaten anyone.

"They get called to get her to leave. She starts to leave and they surround her and to some degree harass her. That's why I think this case needs to be dismissed at this time," her attorney said.

The judge refused, instead finding enough probable cause to send the felony cases to trial.

Arsisto's family, who said she has been homeless and mentally ill for several years, is considering a lawsuit against the police department.