JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two men who were suspected of running a large-scale drug operation were accused in a brazen drive-by shooting on Interstate 95 last year in St. Johns County.
Federal investigators said Nathaniel Hatcher and James Toney were two of the four masked men inside a car when at least one of the passengers fired at another car as it was speeding down the highway. The shooting injured two passengers in Oct. 2023 and caused a miles-long traffic backup on Interstate 95.
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On Friday, prosecutors announced Toney, 20, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Investigators said it was a targeted hit with a high-powered weapon.
Toney faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. Toney has also agreed to forfeit $1,000, which represents illicit proceeds derived from drug trafficking.
VIDEO: 4 masked men pull up to car, start shooting on I-95 in St. Johns County, deputies say
Investigators said the shooting was a retaliation for a robbery during a drug deal.
On September 18, 2023, investigators said Toney and other members of a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization arranged a drug deal with people they had met that evening in Jacksonville. The drug deal, which occurred at a gas station along Old St. Augustine Road, failed, investigators said. The other subjects never provided the promised marijuana, and instead, stole approximately $45,000 in cash from Hatcher and Toney.
Hatcher, Toney’s brother, is accused of conspiring to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, conspiring to straw-purchase guns to help the drug operation, money laundering and witness tampering. If he’s convicted of all 12 counts he faces, Hatcher could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years behind bars, and possibly life.
A minute-long video captured by a semi-truck’s dash cam shows the moment when someone inside a red car opened fire on a white Mercedes while it was driving south on I-95 near World Golf Village.
The video starts showing a white Mercedes driving in the left southbound lane. Then the red vehicle, which was riding behind the Mercedes, speeds up to switch lanes. The video, which does not have sound, then shows the red car slow down to get alongside the Mercedes before someone inside fires the first shots.
The driver of the Mercedes then slams on their brakes as more shots are fired into the car. At one point, a bullet can be seen exploding through the back window.
PREVIOUS STORY: Deputies search for red car after brazen shooting on I-95 in St. Johns County leaves 2 injured
As the red vehicle pulls in front, someone can be seen hanging out the back driver’s side window and continuing to fire shots back at the Mercedes. The red car then speeds off south on I-95.
The video does not show the Mercedes crashing but deputies reported that the vehicle hit the center guard rail after the driver was shot. A woman riding in the passenger seat suffered glass-break injuries as well. Both were taken to the hospital.
Witnesses told deputies that there were four men wearing masks in the red car.
Investigators said Yaquasia DelCarmen, 28, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money and distribute more than 100 pounds of marijuana using an Airbnb and other rental homes.
Times Union: Pot, guns at Airbnb? Jacksonville woman pleads in drug-ring case using short-term rentals
