Homemade explosive forces shutdowns in Hixson Tuesday night

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Chattanooga Police arrest a man with a homemade explosive Tuesday night.

They were called to check out a suspicious person on the sidewalk at Highway 153 in Hixson just before 11 PM.

They found 34 year old Josh Redden laying next to a motorcycle and a backpack.

The officers say they found a large knife, drug paraphernalia and the explosive device in the backpack.

They say Redden confirmed it was a homemade explosive.

So officers put everything down, evacuated the nearby business and closed portions of Highway 153 and Hamill Road.

The Chattanooga Bomb Squad and the ATF responded and “disrupted” the explosive device.

Redden was charged with Public Intoxication, Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Controlled Substance, and a Prohibited Weapon.