Community Corner

UPDATE: Cataldo Facing Charges of Shooting at Police in Point Boro

Louis Cataldo, already charged with attempted murder in connection with allegedly shooting a woman outside his Brielle restaurant, is also facing attempted murder charges for allegedly firing his gun at four police officers in his home bathroom, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's office.

Cataldo is charged with criminal attempt, four counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's office. 
  
Numerous police officers, including the Ocean County Special Operations group, a SWAT team, responded to Cataldo's home at unit 40 of the Bay Point Harbour development at the south end of Bay Avenue in Point Borough.

 For hours, there was a standoff with Cataldo not coming out to surrender in connection with shooting a woman in the parking lot of the Sand Bar, Union Lane, Brielle, shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

 By 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, more than 12 hours after the alleged shooting, Cataldo told police outside his home that he was thirsty and four SWAT team members agreed to bring him a bottle of water, Della Fave said. 

 The four SWAT members included two from the Ocean County Prosecutor's office, one from the Ocean County Sheriff's department and one from Manchester police. As officers approached with the water, there was "a good moment to try to take control of the suspect," Della Fave said.

 "He fled to a nearby bathroom and they all converged on the subject in the bathroom," he said. Cataldo, who initially was not armed when police arrived at his home, apparently grabbed a gun near the bathroom and, as officers were trying to converge on him, fired once, the bullet went into a wall and "the momentum carried all four men into the bathroom where they managed to gain control over him," Della Fave said. 

 "He reached for his gun while the officers were trying to make an arrest, fired one round, missing the officers and hitting a bathroom wall," he said, reading from the police report.

 "They had controlled him so he couldn't fully extend his arm," Della Fave said, adding that police had recovered the bullet from the wall. The area around Bay Point had immediately been sealed off as soon as the police learned Cataldo was there and no one from the public was in danger at any time, Della Fave said.

 Police were not letting anyone but law enforcement into the scene for hours and were telling residents leaving they would not be allowed back in as long as the barricade was there. See other Patch stories on our home page about the initial incident in Brielle, the Sand Bar remaining closed on Tuesday, and Cataldo's first appearance regarding the charges filed by the Monmouth County prosecutor's office.


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