Retired NYPD Cop Shoots Hasbrouck Heights Robber: Prosecutor

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. — A retired New York City Police detective shot a man who attempted an armed robbery of a Garfield store Thursday, said Gurbir S. Grewal, Bergen County's acting prosecutor.

At about 7:11 p.m., the Garfield Police Department received a 9-1-1 call from the detective about an attempted armed robbery and shooting at the Tobacco Road store on River Drive, Grewal said.

A masked man went into the store where its owner, his wife, and their son, along with the detective, were, Grewal said.

The detective reported that the man, later identified as Louis Pizzi, 27, brandished a handgun, pointed it at the owner and his wife, and said, "This is a robbery," Grewal said.

The detective tried disarming Pizzi, who pushed him to the ground; the detective, who was armed with a handgun, fired it at Pizzi, who was shot "in a lower extremity," and fled the store with the detective in pursuit, Grewal said.

Through an investigation, Pizzi was found near Pierre Street, near the Garfield Police Department, and arrested, the prosecutor said.

Garfield police detectives found the handgun Pizzi reportedly used during the attempted robbery, along with several articles of clothing Pizzi got rid of after he fled, Grewal said.

Pizzi, whose last known address was in Hasbrouck Heights, was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center where he was in stable condition Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Pizzi was charged with armed robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and violating a charge of not being allowed to carry a handgun, Grewal said.

Pizzi was remanded to the Bergen County Sheriff's Office. His bail was set at $500,000 with no 10 percent option. He is scheduled to appear in Bergen County Superior Court Monday morning, Grewal said.

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Louis Pizzi, 27 — Courtesy of Bergen County Prosecutor's Office