Man, woman arrested in connection to exchange of gunfire near Industrial Loop in Orange Park

Two people have been arrested in connection to a drive-by shootout, according to authorities in Clay County.

Nathaniel Thomas, 24, and Natasha Baker, 23 are both facing felony charges of child abuse and discharging a firearm from a vehicle, records on Monday showed.

The incident happened Friday morning after Orange Park police and Clay County deputies were called to an area of Loring Avenue near Industrial Loop where, investigators say, people in two separate vehicles were shooting at each other. According to the arrest report, the shooting between both vehicles happened on the roadway during a time when normal traffic volume is heavy.

Deputies and police first located a white Ford Taurus at the corner of Anna Avenue and Campbell Avenue. The Taurus was described as one of the cars involved in the shootout.

According to the arrest report, Thomas and Baker were in the vehicle. Authorities later located a dark-colored Mustang further up the road that was disabled. The Mustang was also described as being the second vehicle involved in the shootout. According to the arrest report, when deputies located the Mustang, it was unoccupied and had three bullet holes in the rear passenger panel.

Thomas and Baker were both taken to the Sheriff’s Office substation in Orange Park where they both questioned about the incident. Although their statements were redacted from the report, investigators found enough probable cause to criminally charge them both.

The arrest report states that the shootout happened within 1,000 feet of children, which is why the couple was charged with child abuse. Google Maps shows that Seven Bridges School, a high school, was near the location of the incident.

Thomas and Baker were both ordered held in the Clay County Jail on $125,000 bonds. Both are from Jacksonville.