Overview
- The confrontation began with a crash and reports of shots fired on Aug. 21 near Country Club Drive and Juanita Avenue, according to police and 911 calls.
- Officers recovered two .40-caliber shell casings and a black metal cup engraved “Coach Curtis” at the scene, and investigators gathered cellphone, dashcam, city bus and Home Depot video to reconstruct the episode.
- Mesa police located and arrested Natrell Curtis on Sept. 2 and found a handgun on him; detectives say Curtis admitted in an interview that he pulled in front of a pickup and fired at it.
- Curtis was booked on counts that include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon, and unlawful discharge of a firearm, and he has since been released on bond pending court proceedings.
- The Tempe Union High School District terminated Curtis’ off-campus coaching role, the other driver from the tan truck has not been publicly identified, and investigators say the criminal case remains active.