GARFIELD, NEW JERSEY — A Tier-2 registered sex offender tried to rob a tobacco store in Garfield, New Jersey, with an illegally obtained handgun. The local newspaper reported that the suspect entered the store, pointed the gun at the owner and his wife, and announced it was a robbery.
It just so happened that the owner of the store was a legally licensed gun owner. That’s because the store owner also used to work for the New York City Police Department. Louis Pizzi, 27, was armed with an illegally obtained gun and attempted to rob him at gunpoint. The shop keeper got into a physical altercation with the suspect. During the altercation, the owner of the store shot Pizzi in the groin.
Hey man, nice shot.
According to the Garfield Daily Voice, Pizzi attempted to flee and was pursued by the shop’s owner. The suspect ran straight into local police who then arrested him and transported him to a nearby Bergen county medical center. He is currently monitored by Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and under a bail of $500,000.
This piece of work is being charged with felony possession of a firearm in addition to attempted robbery. His prior charges include allegedly sexually abusing two children he was watching as a babysitter back in 2009. This gave Pizzi the dubious distinction of being a tier-2 sexual predator. Now, with a bullet wound to the groin and a good long stint in prison ahead of him, he’s really not going to shake off that record.
In New Jersey, the only advice we could give someone who wanted to be a concealed carrier is to have prior experience working for law enforcement in either New Jersey or New York. Those are your two best bets. And in both cases, you pretty much have to work until retirement in order to qualify for the Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act.
New Jersey really only recognizes those people for the right to carry a firearm. In most cases, the average shop keep would either have had to fight with some improvised tool or just accept perpetual victimhood alongside the already crushing taxes.
In this case, it worked out great. The big take-away from this is, if you own or operate a store, make sure you or an employee (ideally both) are armed at all times. This will up your chances of not just being a passive victim for whatever scum walks in through your door.
As for Pizzi, we hope his new catheter doesn’t get clogged in jail.