The owner of the Sand Bar in Brielle will either enter guilty pleas or stand trial for the shooting of his general manager outside the club last June.

Louis Cataldo in Monmouth County Superior Court
Louis Cataldo in Monmouth County Superior Court (Thomas P. Costello, Asbury Park Press/Pool)
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Louis Cataldo, 62, of Point Pleasant, was indicted in Freehold on charges of attempted murder, weapons possession, aggravated assault and resisting arrest, according to acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Grammiccioni's office. The incident led to an eight-hour standoff with SWAT teams at his home.

If convicted of the first-degree attempted murder charge, Cataldo risks up to 20 years in prison. The weapons and assault counts are punishable by up to 10 years each. He'd be required to serve at least 85 percent of the time under New Jersey's No Early Release Act (NERA).

According to investigators, Cataldo walked the 36-year-old woman to her car after closing the restaurant for the night, retrieved a handgun from his adjoining car, returned, and pumped several shots at her.

Brielle police got a flurry of 911 calls and arrived just before 1 AM to find several bystanders tending the victim. She underwent surgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for gunshot wounds in her back as well as lung and eye injuries, authorities said.

Cataldo, meanwhile, surfaced at his house, where he spent eight hours negotiating with police. Investigators said that when SWAT officers entered the house to arrest him, Cataldo bolted toward a bathroom and grabbed a handgun, firing off a round that hit no one.

Cataldo remains jailed in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold, where his bail remains $3,500,000  with no option for release on payment of 10 percent. His arraignment is scheduled within 45 days.

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