A Rossville man is facing multiple charges after police say he drove under the influence of drugs and injured a young passenger during a crash on Highway 27 northbound Saturday afternoon.
According to the Chattanooga Police Department, officers were first alerted by a caller who reported a silver sedan driving erratically on Rossville Boulevard. The vehicle was seen driving onto a sidewalk, nearly rear-ending another car, striking a curb, and then continuing onto Interstate 24 westbound, where it scraped a concrete divider wall.
Police say the driver later exited onto Highway 27, where the vehicle swerved off the right side of the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, spun across the highway, hit another barrier, and came to rest perpendicular to traffic.
Officers identified the driver as 30-year-old David Jacob Brown, according to an arrest report. Police found a child passenger inside the vehicle who was not buckled in and had suffered a head injury. Hamilton County EMS transported the child to a local hospital for treatment.
Brown told officers he had run onto the sidewalk while trying to hand the child a toy and said the crash on Highway 27 occurred because his brakes were not working. He denied drinking alcohol but admitted to snorting hydrocodone. Officers reportedly found a straw consistent with drug use inside his wallet.
Police say Brown was driving on a suspended license and admitted to having fentanyl under the driver’s seat. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered a small bag of purple powder, a small bag of white powder, a cigarette wrapper containing four Xanax pills, and empty beer cans and bottles in the trunk.
The arrest report notes Brown showed signs of impairment, including droopy eyelids, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and constricted pupils. After a field sobriety test, officers determined Brown was under the influence and requested a blood test.
Brown is charged with reckless endangerment, vehicular assault, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a revoked or suspended license, improper lane usage, driving under the influence, and violation of the child restraint law.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 4, 2026.
