A fender bender on the south side of Des Moines turned into a felony investigation after police say the at-fault driver got out of his car with a handgun instead of his insurance card. It’s the kind of story that makes every driver wince a little, because most of us have been in a minor crash at some point, and the vast majority of those encounters end with an exchange of information, not a firearm.
According to the Des Moines Police Department, officers responded to a crash near Southeast 14th Street and East McKinley Avenue shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday. One person was hurt in the collision itself, but the real trouble started once everyone was out of their vehicles. Police say 43-year-old Bradley James Ratkovich, whose car had been rear-ended, got out and pointed a Glock 9mm handgun at the two occupants of the other vehicle, an 18-year-old driver and his 16-year-old passenger.
Investigators say the evidence, including witness statements and cellphone video from the scene, backs up that account, and officers are still waiting on traffic camera footage to fill in the rest. Ratkovich was taken to a Des Moines hospital for a medical evaluation before being booked into the Polk County Jail. His attorney has pushed back on the police version of events, telling reporters his client acted in self-defense after being rear-ended while stopped at an intersection…