Newark Mayor Cory Booker has vetoed a measure that would require late-night eateries to hire armed security guards.
Tuesday's announcement comes several weeks after an off-duty police officer was killed in a drive-by shooting as he waited for his food at a late-night pizza place.
The City Council approved the measure in response to that incident and sent it to Booker earlier this month. It would affect only places that serve fewer than 20 people.
But Booker says those restaurants are only linked to 2 percent of all violent crime in Newark. He also said the ordinance would leave the city vulnerable to lawsuits and force the eateries to incur extra costs.
It wasn't clear Tuesday night if council members would seek to override Booker's veto.
