24 Years for S.C. Gunman: Iric Bolden’s Armed Robbery Spree Ends in Federal Prison

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In a bid to make the Midlands a safer place, a 31-year-old Columbia man has been sentenced to 288 months in federal prison for a string of armed robberies that terrorized local convenience store clerks.

Iric Bolden, 31, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis after pleading guilty to three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, robbery, and attempted robbery. The evidence presented to the court showed that Bolden robbed three Midlands convenience stores, and attempted to rob another, over the course of nine days in the fall of 2019.

The first incident occurred on September 29, 2019, at the 76 gas station located at 2538 Two Notch Rd. Bolden entered the store, pretended to ask the clerk a question, and then walked behind the counter, pointing a gun at the clerk. He demanded the clerk open the cash register, took money, cigarettes, and the clerk’s cell phone before running from the store.

Just a day later, on September 30, 2019, Bolden entered the Marathon Corner Stop located at 1901 Faraway Dr. He entered the store with his gun drawn and a mask over his face, but was frightened by one of the clerks, causing him to drop his mask and flee the scene.

On October 3, 2019, Bolden entered the Mini Mart located at 900 S. Kilbourne Rd. He walked around the store as if browsing for items before running behind the counter and pointing a firearm at the clerk. The clerk was forced to lay on the ground, and Bolden took the clerk’s cell phone, money from two cash registers, and cigarettes before leaving the store.

The final incident occurred on October 6, 2019, at Percival Grocery located at 301 Percival Rd. Bolden entered the store, pulled out a firearm from his waistband, and demanded the clerk open the cash register. He took money from the register, cigarettes, a cell phone, and money from the clerk before fleeing the scene.

The law enforcement recovered surveillance footage for all of the incidents, clearly depicting Bolden’s actions. He was subsequently arrested by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and confessed to the robberies.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.