Former Corona del Sol football coach arrested after Mesa road-rage shooting

Mesa police arrested a former assistant football coach for Corona del Sol High School on Wednesday in connection with a road rage shooting and subsequent hit-and-run crash last month.

Natrell Q. Curtis, 30, was booked into jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangerment, disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Officers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a crash and gunshots near Country Club Drive and Juanita Avenue, just south of Southern Avenue, shortly before 7 p.m. on Aug. 21.

Upon arrival, officers found vehicle debris, two .40-caliber shell casings and a black metal drinking cup engraved with “Coach Curtis” in the roadway.

Witnesses told police a tan truck and a dark-colored sedan were involved in a collision, followed by two to six gunshots.

Investigators gathered video footage from witness cellphones, a vehicle dashcam, three City of Mesa buses and a nearby Home Depot. The footage showed the drivers of the sedan and truck in a roadway altercation, during which the sedan driver pointed a handgun at the truck driver.

When the truck drove away, the sedan followed and struck an uninvolved vehicle. The driver of the impacted vehicle followed the sedan and confronted Curtis, who provided his driver’s license before leaving the scene.

Officers were initially unable to locate the driver of the tan truck.

Detectives tracked down Curtis on Wednesday. He was found with a handgun at the time of his arrest.

During an interview with police, Curtis admitted to pulling in front of the truck and firing his handgun at it. He also confirmed the firearm in his possession during his arrest was the same weapon used in the shooting.

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