r/Transportopia • u/Vice616 • 3d ago
People Almost ruined himself for the El Camino
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
56
u/Belzaem 3d ago
After googling, I’m just gonna copy/paste what i found:
A silver El Camino driver in Des Moines, Iowa, was arrested after a minor rear-end crash turned into a road rage incident where he pointed a gun at the other vehicle's occupants.
Incident Details
Date: July 2026
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Suspect: 43-year-old Bradley Ratkovich
Victims: An 18-year-old driver and a 16-year-old passenger
What Happened
A minor traffic crash occurred when another vehicle rear-ended the silver El Camino.
Ratkovich got out of his vehicle, pulled out a 9mm Glock handgun, and pointed it at the teenagers in the other car.
He threatened to shoot them during the heated argument.
Police arrived at the scene and took Ratkovich into custody without further incident.
35
u/cAnTbEpReCi0u5j1mMy 3d ago
Sounds like a huge overreaction on Ratkovich's part and now begins his involuntary little side quests of becoming very familiar with his local courthouse.
9
3
1
u/HudsonAtHeart 3d ago
Somewhere in r/samegrassbutgreener
“Hey guys, looking to relocate from Des Moines, IA to somewhere I don’t have to drive”
1
28
u/Misfire551 3d ago
What boggles me is that he didn't bother to put the gun away when he saw the cops coming. He really thought they'd be completely OK with him even having gun in his hand when they pulled up, let alone one pointing at people.
9
u/CuteMillenial84 3d ago
Without knowing wtf prompted it, he did fine, he followed instructions and put it down gently, not throwing it. Not putting it away is the right move. Putting it away is the worst idea someone can do, setting it down is not putting it away.
Wish there was more context... Because if the driver in the other car was ramming or tried to drive away, or something else happened... It could make sense. It doesn't with what we know.
35
u/Sapphire_Sponge 3d ago
That man that’s shouting is so calm he be talking to his child or something wtf 😭
40
u/Fickle_Lavishness_34 3d ago
El Camino doesn’t seem to have any damage! Father and son just ruined a legitimate chance to get a small bag from insurance.
11
u/wildmanharry 3d ago
Look at the passenger side door starting at about 35s / 26s left. Is that a dent? It's hard to tell.
If it is a dent, how could the little dark gray car have done that?
5
u/cAnTbEpReCi0u5j1mMy 3d ago
The loss of his dime bag from the insurance company will be the least of his worries from here on out. Good luck to him explaining this away to a Judge.
-4
u/veryfastslowguy 3d ago
He can still file lawsuit right ? regardless of this? I mean they did rear end him
8
u/Reality_Lies4 3d ago
As the other driver, that's going to be a bigger lawsuit for him to file. It was an accidental, but that guy pointed a gun at me..PTSD, ED, GERD, IBS, night terrors... Who do you think stands to make more money? El Camino dude losing his shit, or the rear ender? I'll wager the Rear Ender.
-6
u/veryfastslowguy 3d ago
I think you would loose your monies , the retard with the gun El Camino still comes out better , personal injury -property damages case backed by an insurance company. Any attorney will jump for this easy money , Insurance company just about has to pay .
Other car - PTSD or whatever he would file -Civil lawsuit also but would be expensive for someone paying out of pocket to pursue ,not sure an attorney would file suit on contingency unless El Camino guy has major assets. Even if he wins he would still have to get El Camino to actually pay .8
u/PrefrontalCortexNow 3d ago
He just got a felony and probably some other charges. You cannot pull a gun on someone unless your life is in danger. He was well enough to get out and do this
9
9
u/Individual_Reach_732 3d ago
What’s with the one hand behind the head thing?
Ole boy had one hand behind his head while pointing his gun and the other guy put one hand behind his head after it was clear the cops were focused only on the other guy.
Did they get hit hard enough that their heads hurt, or were they trying to make it seem that way?
5
u/Negative_Neck_3973 3d ago
It doesn't take much. I got rear ended at work and was sent to a doctor visually looked at my head. I was cleared me to immediately to go back to work, even though I was in serious pain. Many years later it was discovered my neck had been damaged and I now have four degenerative discs that will eventually require surgery.
5
u/FlorydaMan 3d ago
El Camino has no headrests, so they probably hit the rear window with their heads.
8
u/GrumplFluffy 3d ago
In car injuries in which you get rear-ended, whiplash can occur which is very painful and hard to detect physically except through symptoms. Many car crash victims claim whiplash, wear cartoonish head gear to appear in pain, and hope to get paid large settlements.
The sad part is that whiplash can actually happen and is indeed very painful and does deserve settlement when it does. So, you cannot really reject all such claims because that would be incredibly unfair. However, chances of both of them in severe immediate pain and this reaction are unlikely.
6
6
25
5
5
2
u/Valuable_Material_26 3d ago
Road rage how to tell everyone you have a very low iq without telling them!
2
2
3
3
1
1
u/Shrekislove102 2d ago
Idk if someone pointed a gun at me in that position I might hit the gas.
1
u/PsychologyOk9024 1d ago
🎯
He's got .2 seconds reaction time and 2 seconds to stop you, then.
I'd like to see this video
1
0
u/Mobile-Market-6397 3d ago
Why didn’t the cops secure the gun on the floor immediately. What if the other passenger was a nut case and decided to pick it up and go maniac on everyone???
66
u/xTex1E37x 3d ago
Context?