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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, April 24, 2009

'God told her not to' surrender

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 45-year-old woman who was shot and seriously wounded by police said God spoke to her just before she lunged at the officers with metal objects early April 3, according to a police affidavit filed in District Court.

Yvonne Arsisto was charged Wednesday with four counts of first-degree terroristic threatening in connection with the incident. Her bail was set at $40,000 and she is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing May 27.

Arsisto, described by police as homeless, is accused of threatening and lunging at three officers with two metal objects. One officer fired a Taser stun gun at her while another officer fired twice with a pistol, hitting her once in the abdomen, police said.

Police were called to a business at 1517 S. King St. shortly before 2 a.m. April 3 when a security guard reported being confronted by a woman who appeared to be "disturbed, angry and hateful," according to the affidavit.

The woman, identified in the affidavit as Arsisto, was holding a long metal skewer in one hand and a thin black metal pipe in the other, the affidavit said.

One of the three officers ordered Arsisto to put down the objects, but she said to him that "God told her he was not a police officer," the affidavit said. Arsisto also refused to let go of the objects because "God told her not to," according to the affidavit.

At that point, Arsisto lunged toward two of the officers, according to police, and one of them fired his Taser at her. A second officer got off two rounds and hit Arsisto once.

Arsisto was taken to The Queen's Medical Center for treatment of her wounds. At about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Arsisto was discharged from the hospital and immediately taken into police custody.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.