CT man who ditched gun, ammunition following crash sentenced to almost 8 years in federal prison

A previously convicted felon has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison after federal officials said he ditched a loaded gun and ammunition following a car crash in New Haven in 2021.

Jackie Brown, 43, of New Haven faced sentencing Tuesday in federal court in Bridgeport, where he received a 92-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley, came after Brown pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon last August, federal officials said.

According to federal officials, Brown was involved in a car accident in New Haven on Oct. 7, 2021, after which police saw that he was trying to conceal an extended firearm magazine by sitting on top of it. Brown, officials said, then ran from the car and through a residential yard before he was apprehended minutes later.

During a “search of Brown’s path,” authorities found a .40 caliber handgun, a loaded magazine and two loose rounds of ammunition, federal officials said. Brown, officials said, later admitted that he had discarded a firearm with a loaded magazine during the chase.

The magazine was loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition. The legal limit for a firearm magazine in Connecticut is 10 rounds.

According to federal officials, Brown has an extensive criminal history that includes seven drug-related felony convictions and a conviction for attempted first-degree assault. A felony conviction prohibits individuals from having guns or ammunition.