Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson announced yesterday that a Berkeley County jury convicted Isiah Canales, age 19, and Dimitri Dickens, age 21, of Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature following a three-day trial. They also were convicted of Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime from the same incident. Assistant Solicitors F. Alexander Myers and Olivia Lynch prosecuted the case.
On April 25, 2021, at approximately 10 pm, Canales and Dickens, along with three other unidentified individuals parked in the parking lot of Royal Lanes Bowling Alley, located in the Goose Creek area of Berkeley County. Canales, Dickens, and three unknown individuals waited to ambush the victims as they exited the bowling alley. Once the victims were in range, Canales, Dickens, and the unknown three individuals approached the victims with guns drawn. One of the victims struggled with Canales and was able to draw his own firearm. A shootout involving six or more weapons erupted in the parking lot. Gun fire was exchanged across the parking lot for several moments before Canales, Dickens, and the three unknown individuals fled the area. One of the victims was shot three times during the exchange. He survived. The entire incident was captured on Royal Lanes video surveillance cameras. Canales and Dickens were easily identified by one victim who knew them. Canales was subsequently arrested after he was located in a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound. U.S. Marshals captured Dickens three months later in Detroit, Michigan. The three unidentified co-defendants remain at large. Detective Douglas Galluccio with the Goose Creek Police Department conducted a diligent investigation over the next several months, collecting video surveillance, witness statements, and physical evidence from the parking lot and a nearby intersection.
At sentencing, Myers requested the Defendants face no less than the maximum sentence of 25 years active time in prison. Circuit Court Judge Bentley Price sentenced both Dickens and Canales to 15 years suspended to ten years on the Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature and five years on the Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime to run concurrently.
“The verdict justly reflects the nature of Canales' and Dickens' reckless disregard for public safety,” said Assistant Solicitor Myers. “Thankfully no one was killed during this incident.”
