Armed Iowa dad stops wanted fugitive from stealing pickup truck with his 10-year-old son inside
An Iowa father reportedly used his firearm to stop a convicted felon from stealing his truck, which had his 10-year-old son in the backseat. Brad Ratkovich, of the Des Moines area, was in the garage at around 5 am on Wednesday, July 3, getting ready to leave for a fishing trip with his son, Logan, when he spotted a man trying to break into his truck, according to KMBC.
That man was later identified to be 58-year-old Steven Wayne Six who police said was wanted for walking away while on work release and has a long criminal history that includes convictions on burglary.
"He's kind of down low, goes to pull up, looks in and sees my son," said Ratkovich recalling the confrontation. "I come around the corner without any hesitation with my Alien Gear Holster pulled and told him to get on the ground."
Ratkovich said he pointed his gun as soon as he saw Six trying to get into his pickup truck, but it wasn't just him with the quick-thinking. Logan locked the doors the moment he saw Six coming towards the driveway from across the street. "He was walking exactly to me," Logan said. "I locked the doors when he was just entering the driveway and my dad came from inside the garage and defended me with his gun."
Six reportedly tried to charm his way out of the situation by claiming that he knew Ratkovich, but it wasn't a ruse that the dad was going to fall for. "He's like, 'Hey, I'm Steve. don't you remember me? I'm Steve'," Ratkovich said. "And I was like, 'Dude, I've never met you in my entire life'."
The dad said he made Six get on the ground, but the man wasn't proving to be very cooperative. "He did get on the ground," Ratkovich revealed. "Then he got back up. Then he got back down."
"He tried to escape at one point," he continued. "He came at me multiple times where I could've then defended myself with my firearm." Ratvokich had long since pressed the side button on his iPhone five times and alerted 911 to the situation, and while police arrived just a few minutes later, the dad said the ordeal felt like it lasted hours.
Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek praised Ratkovich for his handling of the situation. "The privilege of carrying a handgun comes with a lot of responsibility," he said. "That's where the police department always puts its emphasis and (Ratkovich) checked all the boxes."
Six has been charged with attempted burglary in connection to the incident. He is being held at the Polk County Jail.