Crashed Pickup Gets Cathedral City Man DUI Charges

A Cathedral City man was behind bars today on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing his pickup truck into a ravine, injuring himself and a passenger.

Brandon Brown, 27, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing injury around 9 p.m. Tuesday near East Palm Canyon Drive and Southridge Drive, Palm Springs police Sgt. Mike Kovaleff said.

“Emergency personnel arrived on scene and located a black Ford Ranger pickup truck in a ravine near the intersection. The preliminary investigation revealed that Brandon Brown was driving eastbound on East Palm Canyon Drive, near Southridge Drive, when he lost control of the Ford Ranger and ran off of the roadway. The Ford Ranger subsequently rolled over,” Kovaleff said.

Brown and his male passenger were taken to a hospital, he said.

“A DUI investigation was conducted and officers had probable cause to believe Brown was under the influence of alcohol while driving during the collision,” Kovaleff said.

Brown was booked at the Larry D. Smith jail in Banning and held in lieu of $50,000 bail. He was expected to be arraigned Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.