York man sentenced in road rage case where he posted Snapchat gun videos
A York County man whose road rage sparked a shootout on a highway and at the victim’s home has been sentenced to up to six years in a youthful offender prison.
Dillon McConnell Luse, 23, pleaded guilty to assault and battery under South Carolina’s youthful offender system and will serve a maximum of six years, according to his lawyers, prosecutors and court records.
Luse shot at a female driver in a road rage incident in Rock Hill in September. He then followed the woman home where there was a shootout between Luse and the woman and her husband, prosecutors said.
Sixteenth Circuit Assistant Solicitor Matthew Hogge said Luse posted social media videos of himself with the gun used in the incident.
“Minutes before this incident he (Luse) had posted two videos on Snapchat of him in the vehicle listening to rap music while waving his pistol around with his finger on the trigger,” Hogge said.
Luse’s violent actions without regard for the safety of others put the public in danger, Hogge said.
The woman was returning from McDonald’s to her Rock Hill home on Sept. 7 with her children, Hogge said. During the drive, she noticed Luse driving erratically, then Luse swerved into her lane and stopped in front of her.
Luse refused to move, so the woman drove around him. Luse followed her and shot at her car, Hogge said. The woman retrieved her own pistol and held it in her hand as she drove toward home, Hogge said.
The woman called her husband, Hogge said. Her husband, a Marine Corps combat veteran, retrieved his pistol and went into the yard. He saw his wife’s vehicle and muzzle flash from the vehicle following her, Hogge said.
The husband fired on the pursuing vehicle as the wife pulled into her driveway, Hogge said.
Luse then turned around and fired toward the house, Hogge said. Neighbors who heard the gunshots came out, calling to the victims that Luse was coming back. The victims fired back, with the husband disabling the car with a shot that pierced the engine block, Hogge said.
Luse retrieved his skateboard from the car and fled.
Hogge said the woman forgave Luse.
Luse will serve a nine-month active sentence with the remainder of his sentence on probation if he follows court guidelines, said Michael Brown, Luse’s lawyer.
“This was a negotiated sentence that is good for all sides,” Brown said. “He learned a lesson and has to be punished for what he did.”
If Luse stays without criminal problems, he can petition later to have his record cleared, Brown said.
“He can have a productive life after this incident,” Brown said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 2:28 PM.
