SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter Police has announced the arrest of eight people after a bar fight and shooting left four injured on March 10.
Two bar patrons and six members of the staff hired to work security at Backyard Bar and Grill on Rast Street in Sumter have been charged and Sumter Police say more arrests may be pending.
According to police, Backyard Bar and Grill has been a source of multiple calls for police response over the past few years. In November 2023, the Sumter Police Department filed a petition with the South Carolina Department of Revenue in an effort to get the bar's alcohol license revoked. Those hearings are pending.
In the latest incident on March 10, police responded to a call around 6 p.m. regarding a fight at the bar possibly involving gunfire. Investigators believe a disagreement involving patrons attending brunch evolved into a large fight outside in to the bar's parking lot where shots were fired. Three victims -- a 29-year-old female from Columbia, a 26-year-old female from Bethune, and a 21-year-old male from Sumter -- were hit by gunfire and a 31-year-old woman fell and was run over by a car leaving the scene. All four persons were treated at area hospitals and released.
Investigators were able to obtain casings from both hand and long guns from outside the bar.
The eight people facing charges are:
- Myzariah Lucas, 22, of Gable, is charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a gun on premises where alcohol is sold and aggravated breach of peace. Information gathered in the investigation indicates Lucas and at least two other people fired shots outside of the club.
- Aaliyah I. Blanding, 27, of Spaulding Ave., is charged with aggravated breach of peace and possession of a weapon on premises where alcohol is sold.
- Kevin Bethea, 35, of Jade Tree Lane, Hopkins, is charged with obstruction of justice. Bethea, owner of Cerberus Security & Protection in Sumter, turned himself in today.
- Steven Bethea, 32, of Barton Street, who was acting as a security guard and is not licensed through the State Law Enforcement Division, is charged with possession of a weapon on premises where alcohol is sold. Bethea turned himself in Monday night.
- Keion Shakel Dicks, 22, of Council Street, is charged with possession of a weapon on premises where alcohol is sold and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He was acting as a security guard and is not licensed by the State Law Enforcement Division. Dicks turned himself in Monday night.
- Zachary Sebastian Geddings, 20, of Osteen Lane, is charged with possession of a weapon on premises where alcohol is sold. He was acting as a security guard and is not licensed by the State Law Enforcement Division. Geddings turned himself in Monday.
- Julius Armonte Rasheem Ellerbe, 24, of Barton St., is charged with possession of a weapon on premises where alcohol is sold. He was acting as a security guard and is not currently licensed by the State Law Enforcement Division. Ellerbe’s security license was revoked in 2023 after an unrelated incident in Florence County where he is facing felony charges. Ellerbe turned himself in this morning.
- James Lewis Love, 51, of Frisco Branch Road, is charged with obstruction of justice. Love is a co-owner of Cerberus Security & Protection. Love was placed in custody Monday at his home.
The Sumter Police Department continues to ask that anyone who saw or heard anything that day or night -- or might have other information that can assist in the ongoing investigation -- to call Sumter PD at 803-436-2700 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.