SOUTH PORTLAND — South Portland police used an electronic stun gun to temporarily disable a woman who was threatening officers with knives Wednesday afternoon.

The distraught woman had called police at 2:21 p.m. to say she had cut her wrists and that when police arrived at her Broadway home she would attack them so they would be forced to shoot her, police said.

Police responded and spoke to the 47-year-old woman through the door. When she confirmed she had cut herself, they opened the door and confronted her. She had an 8- to 9-inch kitchen knife in each hand and was advancing on the officers when officer Kevin Battle used a Taser to temporarily disable her so they could take her to Maine Medical Center for evaluation and treatment of her self-inflicted injuries.

Police did not release the woman’s name since she was not charged.

The incident was the fifth use of a Taser device by police this year, police said. Three of the cases involved people with edged weapons, By using the Taser, officers did not have to resort to deadly force, police said.

In a separate incident, police arrested a man at the Redbank General Store about 8 p.m. Tuesday and attempted to use a Taser but it did not work as intended.

Brandon Cote, 20, of South Portland had randomly punched another man in the store and was struggling with three men who were trying to hold him down, police said. Police tried to deploy a Taser but it did not work and instead four officers wrestled Cote to the ground and were able to handcuff him.

Cote’s unusual behavior and his lack of response to blows and other attempts to disable him, prompted police to take him to Maine Medical center for evaluation. He was later taken to the Cumberland County Jail.