PATERSON — A Paterson man was caught carrying a handgun and hollow-point bullets Tuesday, days after he was shot at, authorities said.

A concerned citizen told Passaic County Sheriff’s Office detectives that Abel Quiroz was armed, for protection or to retaliate against his attacker, according to Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik.

Detectives spotted Quiroz standing outside of Paterson Public School #2 shortly after 4:15 p.m., but he ran when they pulled up, the sheriff said in a statement.

During the foot chase, Quiroz tossed a .22 caliber handgun from his pants, Berdnik said. One detective grabbed the gun while Sheriff’s Officer Atli Sela tackled Quiroz.

"I feel confident that the recovery of this gun prevented yet another needless shooting on the streets of our county, Berdnik said. "Law enforcement needs to continue to actively enforce our gun laws.”

Quiroz, 20, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, possession of six hollow-point rounds, resisting arrest by flight and certain persons not allowed to have a gun from a prior burglary conviction.

Authorities did not immediately provide details on the incident where Quiroz was shot at.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

