Urinating man was holding his pistol when NJ cop shot at him, prosecutor says

ELIZABETH — Authorities say an off-duty city police detective was justified in opening fire during an altercation with an armed man who was urinating outside a restaurant.

The Union County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday that Det. Darin Williamson was justified when he fired two shots when he realized 21-year-old Luis Ruiz-Chicaz had a loaded handgun in Elizabeth in March 2016.

Prosecutors say that Williamson was off duty when the restaurant owner told him that someone was urinating on the building. They say Ruiz-Chicaz turned around with a pistol after Williamson identified himself.

They say his gun went off during a struggle and that he fired again after someone else tried to grab his gun from the ground. No one was hurt.

Ruiz-Chicaz pleaded guilty in December to weapons charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.

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