Joseph Dimarco (left) and Nicholas Dimarco (Courtesy: Maricopa County)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - A recreational men's baseball game in Scottsdale escalated into a violent, armed ambush on Wednesday night, leaving a man hospitalized with a gunshot wound and a bleeding brain after two brothers allegedly blocked his car, pistol-whipped him and opened fire, authorities said.
What we know:
Scottsdale residents Nicholas Dimarco, 29, and Joseph Dimarco, 27, made their initial court appearances on Thursday following the violent attack at Salt River Fields. While their defense attorney acknowledged the severity of the allegations — characterizing the incident as "a fight on a baseball field that went bad" and teeing up a self-defense case at trial — a judge ordered both brothers held on $50,000 secured appearance bonds.
The backstory:
The chaos began around 9:40 p.m. on June 24 during a recreational game on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Police said an initial physical altercation broke out on the field between Joseph Dimarco and the victim, Luis Ayala-Aponte, causing the game to end early before the two were separated.
Ayala-Aponte complied with orders to leave the ballfields and tried to drive away. But investigators report that the Dimarco brothers followed the victim in their two separate vehicles and blocked his path, trapping his car.
According to court documents, both brothers got out of their vehicles armed with handguns and ordered Ayala-Aponte out of his car. Once the victim complied, the brothers allegedly began repeatedly striking him across the face and head with their pistols, knocking him to the ground.
While the victim lay defenseless on the ground, the brothers continued to repeatedly punch and kick him, police allege.
Witnesses who tried to intervene were forced back when Nicholas Dimarco pointed his gun at them, according to a police probable cause statement. Responding officers and several witnesses reported hearing a gunshot during the onslaught.
Dig deeper:
Emergency crews rushed Ayala-Aponte to Scottsdale Osborn Hospital, where he was admitted for severe injuries including a gunshot wound to his ear, a graze wound to the back of his neck and a traumatic brain bleed.
Salt River Police officers arrested the brothers as they allegedly tried to flee the scene together in a single car. During what police described as a "high-risk traffic stop," officers recovered a Glock 9mm handgun on the floorboard where Joseph Dimarco was sitting and a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun in Nicholas Dimarco's waistband. A single 9mm shell casing was found at the scene.
Both suspects invoked their right to remain silent when first taken into custody.
The charges
Nicholas Dimarco is accused of aggravated assault resulting in serious physical injury, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with multiple accomplices. Joseph Dimarco was booked on identical assault charges, including a count of assault with a deadly weapon.
What's next:
Judge John T. Aragon ordered both men to stay away from the victim, witnesses and the scene of the crime if they manage to post their $50,000 bonds. They are scheduled to return to the Maricopa County Superior Court for a status conference on July 1, followed by a preliminary hearing on July 6.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Maricopa County Superior Court records and hearings.