TAMPA, FLORIDA — A truck driver who deliberately drove his semi-truck into a group of people outside a Tampa gentlemen’s club has been sentenced to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole, following a jury’s swift verdict late Wednesday. The crash killed Giovanni Soto and injured two other employees of the club.

The case centered on Dylan Fogle, who prosecutors say returned to Emperors Gentlemen’s Club on August 14, 2024 with the intent to kill after being forcibly removed earlier in the night. Closing arguments wrapped Wednesday afternoon, and jurors deliberated for only a few hours before delivering the guilty verdict that triggered Florida’s mandatory life sentence.

^{Photo credit: fox13}

According to testimony presented by the state, Fogle was kicked out of the club after behaving inappropriately toward a dancer. Club security host Joshua Sanders testified that after the dancer alerted staff, he physically carried Fogle out of the club: “I picked him up and kind of carried him out under his arms like a toddler.”

Prosecutors described what happened next as a premeditated act fueled by rage. After leaving on foot, Fogle spent more than an hour making over 53 phone calls and sending alarming text messages, including one that read: “Goodbye, I’m going to prison for vehicular manslaughter.” Surveillance video showed his friend being shoved to the ground outside the club moments before Fogle’s semi-truck barreled across the parking lot and into a crowd.

Prosecutor Christina Berkowicz said Fogle’s actions were deliberate: “As soon as he saw human beings, he came and drove that truck — that weapon of his choice — toward them. The evidence will show he intended to do exactly what he did.”

Defense attorney Maria Dunker argued that Fogle was drunk, panicked, and acting in hysteria after believing his friend was being attacked. Dramatic video played in court showed Fogle sobbing and wailing while being treated by paramedics after the crash. Dunker maintained that Fogle’s mental state prevented him from forming premeditated intent and that he thought he was rushing to help his friend: “This is not premeditated murder. He didn't want to kill anyone. He didn’t even fight back when he was thrown out of the club.”

^{Photo credit: fox13}

The defense also pointed out that the truck’s brake lights illuminated in the moments before impact, arguing this contradicted the prosecution's claim of conscious intent: “If there is premeditated design to kill, why is he braking?”

^{Photo credit: fox13}

But prosecutors countered that Fogle had over an hour to reflect, drove home, retrieved his truck, returned to the club, and lay in wait “just to see people.” Berkowicz told the jury: “He had every opportunity to stop. Instead, he waited for over 10 minutes — just waiting for someone to kill.”

The jury ultimately rejected the defense’s argument, convicting Fogle on charges resulting in a mandatory life sentence without parole.

📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.