LITTLE ITALY — The 22-year-old son of the owner of the famed Mario's Italian Lemonade stand in Little Italy hopes to post bond this week after being charged with firing gunshots at police officers — an incident that greatly "concerned" the local alderman.
Marco DiPaolo was charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possessing a gun without a valid firearm owner's identification card Friday after he fired shots at police officers early Thursday morning, prosecutors said.
In court for a brief hearing Monday, attorney Robert Rascia said that he anticipates Marco DiPaolo, the son of Little Italy businessman Mario "Skippy" DiPaolo Jr., will be able to post bond by Wednesday. Marco DiPaolo owns Mint Clothing at 1058 W. Taylor St. and Mario DiPaolo Jr. owns Mario’s Italian Lemonade, a Taylor Street mainstay since 1954.
On Saturday, Judge Laura Sullivan ordered DiPaolo held on $500,000 bail, according to the Tribune. He must also surrender his passport if he posts bond.
RELATED: MINT CLOTHING BRINGS STREETWEAR TO LITTLE ITALY
DiPaolo was arrested Thursday in the 800 block of South Miller Street after he pointed a gun at police officers, authorities said. He resisted arrest while being placed in police custody, officers said.
According to an arrest report, DiPaolo "knowingly and intentionally" pointed a gun and fired shots toward three police officers.
During a bond hearing Saturday, DiPaolo collapsed on the floor and was rushed to St. Anthony Hospital for treatment, according to a Tribune report. On Monday, DiPaolo's attorney Thomas A. Durkin said that his client suffers from epilepsy and had an epileptic seizure in court.
"He had been without his epilepsy medicine for 2½ days," Durkin said. DiPaolo is now being treated for his condition at Cook County Jail’s Cermak Hospital, Durkin said.
Durkin declined to discuss the charges against his client Monday.
"Right now all I'm concerned with is that he gets proper medical treatment," Durkin said. "It would be way too premature for me to comment on the case."
Solis: Cops 'Could Have Been Victims'
Ald. Danny Solis (25th), who represents a stretch of Little Italy where the shooting occurred and where Mint Clothing is located, said the shooting has concerned him "on many levels."
"I'm concerned that this is a business owner and that he had a gun and shot it off at police officers," Solis said. "I'm concerned ... when any policemen could have been victims of such a shooting."
Marco DiPaolo walks inside his business, Mint Clothing, when it opened in 2014. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
Solis, who knows the DiPaolo family well, said Marco DiPaolo's parents "are great people."
"I'm hoping that there is more to the story," Solis said of the incident.
The Little Italy shooting marked the sixth time officers had been shot at in a two-week period in Chicago.
Mint Clothing was open for business Monday. A store representative declined to comment.
The DiPaolo family could not be reached Monday.
DiPaolo, a St. Ignatius graduate who opened Mint Clothing in 2014, was living with his mother and father in the 1000 block of West Taylor Street prior to the shooting.
According to court records, DiPaolo was charged with theft and battery in 2015, but was found not guilty in December 2015.
Mint Clothing is at 1058 W. Taylor St. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
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