Drunk Driver Shoots at College Girls' Home

LUBBOCK, TX — A chaotic chain of events unfolded on February 27, leading to the arrest of a 23-year-old man, who now faces a series of charges after allegedly firing shots at a home and later being arrested after speeding and driving while intoxicated.

According to court documents, at around 2:48 a.m., Lubbock Police officers were called to a house on the 2400 block of 24th Street after reports of a burglary.

Two roommates were woken up inside their home by their dog uncontrollably barking at the sound of glass breaking. At first, they thought someone was trying to break into their home, and the roommates called 911.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they found a broken window on the west side of the house and two bullet holes in the walls. One of the bullets had hit the floor, while another had pierced through a bedroom wall.

Officers learned that one of the bullets had passed inches over the feet of one of the roommates, who had been sleeping in her bed at the time of the shooting. An officer noted that if the trajectory of the bullet had been slightly different, the bullet could have pierced through her foot.

Officers analyzed the bullet paths and determined that the shots came from a moving car heading northbound on University Avenue, right outside the house. Court reports state the shooter, later identified as Noel Natal, 23, recklessly fired rounds from University Avenue.

Lubbock Police officers found two brass spent shell casings on University Avenue, one in the middle lane and one in the far left lane. The casings were found to be .40 caliber rounds of ammunition. While investigating the ammunition, a radio call from another police officer stated he initiated a traffic stop possibly relating to the suspect from the shooting.

According to another court document, a separate Lubbock Police officer was on patrol and stopped at a red light when a vehicle approached behind him at a very high rate of speed. The officer noted that he was about to change lanes before he noticed the car and quickly stopped.

After the speeding vehicle almost collided with the officer’s patrol car, the officer turned on his lights and initiated a traffic stop at the 2500 block of 15th Street. As the officer approached the passenger side of the car, he immediately smelled marijuana.

The driver, later identified as Noel Natal, admitted to drinking “3 big glasses of Dos Equis” earlier that night at a nearby bar. Court documents stated another man was in the passenger seat when the officer approached the vehicle. When the officer asked Natal’s level of intoxication, he rated himself as a 5 on a scale of 0 to 10.

The officer asked Natal to step out of the vehicle and asked if Natal would complete a few standardized field sobriety tests. After checking off clues during the test, it became clear to the officer that the suspect was impaired.

Natal gave consent to a pat-down search, and the officer found a bag of marijuana in the suspect's pocket.

The officer initiated a probable cause search on Natal’s vehicle and found a handgun in the driver’s seat. Lubbock Police officers matched the ammunition caliber from the ammunition found at the scene at the residence on 24th Street and linked the two incidents to Natal.

Court documents did not specify if Natal had any relation with the roommates at the residence or if a prior altercation initiated the shooting.

Based on the location and timing of the two incidents, along with the evidence discovered at the residence and inside the vehicle, Noel Natal was arrested and charged with Deadly Conduct Discharge Firearm, Criminal Mischief of a Habitation, Theft of a Firearm, Discharge of a Firearm in Certain Municipalities, Unlicensed Carry of a Weapon, Speeding, DWI with a BAC >= 0.15, and Possession of Marijuana <2 oz.

He was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center and remains with an outstanding bond set at $42,000.