A 28-year-old man agreed to a life term with possibility of parole in exchange for his guilty plea yesterday to a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting of a police officer near the Makapu'u Lookout eight years ago.

As part of the plea agreement, city prosecutors will drop a first-degree attempted murder charge against Peter K. Moses that carries a mandatory life term without parole.

Moses also pleaded guilty to related charges of attempted assault for firing a shot at a second officer; and terroristic threatening for threatening a third officer with the gun during a struggle, and the shooting on Sept. 11, 1998. The officers had been trying to arrest Moses for breaking into a parked rental car.

City Deputy Prosecutor Rom Trader called the plea agreement an "excellent resolution" that ensures Moses will be adequately punished for his crimes.

Trader said former police officer Earl Haskell, who was shot in the abdomen, and the other two officers approved of the agreement.

Stuart Fujioka, Moses' lawyer, said in addition to having the first-degree attempted murder charge dropped, Moses pleaded guilty to spare the officers from testifying in a retrial.

"He wanted to take responsibility for what happened that day," Fujioka said.

Circuit Judge Steven Alm scheduled sentencing for March 5.

The three officers were trying to arrest Moses, who was 6 feet 2 and 280 pounds, when he resisted and got ahold of the gun of police officer John Veneri Sr.

Moses then shot Haskell before Veneri got a gun from the third officer, Laura Chong, and fired several shots at Moses, who suffered a grazing wound to the head and wounds to his legs. Veneri is the victim in the attempted assault and Chong is the victim of the terroristic threatening.

During a trial in 1999, Haskell recalled thinking he had been killed from the gunshot. He was hospitalized for two months before he returned to work.

Moses, who tested positive for cocaine but said he wasn't high on drugs, testified that he was holding the gun that shot Haskell, but didn't know how the gun went off and didn't intend to kill anyone.

Moses was convicted and sentenced to a life term without parole, but he was granted a new trial last year after appeals to the Hawai'i Intermediate Court of Appeals and the Hawai'i Supreme Court.

Yesterday, Moses admitted he fired the shot that wounded Haskell.

Moses also pleaded guilty to related counts of breaking into the car that was parked on the shoulder of the road and illegally possessing the gun. He appeared hesitant in entering his guilty pleas.

"It's a big step when you plead to an offense that carries a life sentence," Fujioka said.

Trader said Haskell later left the police force and is now a Big Island police officer; Veneri retired, but Chong is still with Honolulu police.

"The crimes that this defendant had committed had a horribly devastating impact on the officer that was shot, as well as the other two officers," Trader said.

But the three have tried to "put this behind them as much as possible," the prosecutor said.

Haskell and Veneri were awarded the Warrior Gold Medal of Valor, HPD's highest honor, for their roles in dealing with Moses. Chong received the Certificate of Merit.

The Hawai'i Paroling Authority will later set the minimum term Moses must serve before he is eligible for release on parole. He has spent eight years in prison in the case.

Fujioka said he wasn't sure what he will recommend as a minimum term. Trader said he will ask for a substantial sentence.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.