Two Gwinnett County gang members were convicted on a litany of charges Monday, receiving several lifetimes worth of prison time as a result, authorities said.
Bruce Rykeisedagiquan Chambers, 22, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 245 years in prison, while Ishmael Abdultaliv Salaam, 28, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 100 years in prison, the Gwinnett District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Chambers shot and seriously injured a 20-year-old man in 2017 during a gang-related armed robbery, which Salaam oversaw and approved, the release said. Chambers was convicted of 14 felonies, while Salaam was found guilty of six.
The incident took place July 31, 2017, when Chambers and other suspects drove to a home in Auburn under the guise of purchasing half an ounce of marijuana, the release said. They were meeting Frantz Blake, who is also an alleged gang member, the release said.
During the drug purchase, Chambers pulled out a gun and shot Blake in the chest, the release said. Chambers and the others fled the scene before leading Gwinnett police on a high-speed chase. However, that chase was called off soon after "for public safety," the DA's office said.
Police later found the vehicle abandoned and made two arrests. Those arrested were Isis Chandler McCloud, 17, of Athens, and Dylan Jordan Grant, 19, of Lawrenceville, AJC.com previously reported.
MORE: 2 teens charged in Gwinnett shooting, 'dangerous' suspect at large
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
McCloud was later convicted of two counts of robbery as a first offender, while all of her other charges were dropped, according to Gwinnett court records. Grant’s case is still pending. He faces 16 charges, consisting of armed robbery, aggravated assault and gang-related offenses.
Chambers was found hiding in an attic inside a Gwinnett apartment Sept. 14, 2017, the release said. He was then arrested and booked into the Gwinnett jail, where he remained until his trial.
Salaam was arrested multiple times since the shooting, but he was not indicted in connection with Blake’s shooting until August 2019, according to court records. It’s unclear at what point prosecutors tied him to this case.
Prosecutors said he founded the “64 Brims” gang in Atlanta, which is a subgroup of the Bloods. Chambers and the other suspects were also part of this gang, the release said.
“Salaam’s status in the Bloods made him one of the highest ranking gang members in Georgia and in charge of dozens of Bloods gang members,” the release said. “Witnesses testified that as the leader of the 64 Brims, Salaam was responsible for green-lighting criminal activity by the members of the 64 Brims.”
Chambers and Salaam were convicted following a two-week trial.
Chambers was found guilty of armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and 11 counts of violating the street gang terrorism and prevention act.
Salaam was convicted of armed robbery and five counts of violating the street gang terrorism and prevention act. He was also acquitted on five counts of violating the street gang terrorism and prevention act in addition to an aggravated assault charge.
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