Copperas Cove man accused of ramming woman’s truck in domestic dispute

A late-night domestic dispute in Copperas Cove escalated into a roadway attack, police said, after Salatielu Pati allegedly used his truck to ram a woman’s pickup while she was driving with her two daughters inside. Officers were called shortly before 11 p.m. on Saturday, and investigators treated the crash as a violent assault tied to family violence.

According to the victim’s statement in the arrest affidavit, Pati had been drinking through the day and the argument began after he came home and asked her to bring him cigarettes. She told police she refused because she was tired from work. The dispute then followed her onto the road, where police say Pati struck the driver’s side of her pickup with his own truck.

The 911 call became a key part of the case. Police said the recording captured a man screaming at the woman and her children and saying he was going to kill somebody. That audio, along with the victim’s account and the affidavit, helped support the charge filed against Pati: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, family violence.

Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.02, aggravated assault can involve causing serious bodily injury or using or exhibiting a deadly weapon. Texas law can also treat a vehicle as a deadly weapon when it is used in a way capable of causing serious bodily harm, which is why a truck can become central evidence in a case like this. The offense is generally a second-degree felony, though family-related circumstances can make the legal consequences more serious.

Copperas Cove police said the incident is one of the kinds of calls that can turn dangerous in seconds, moving from a private argument to an immediate threat to children and other drivers nearby. The presence of the two daughters in the pickup adds another layer to a case already marked by the alleged use of a vehicle as a weapon.

The Copperas Cove Police Department said its daily bulletin is preliminary and subject to change as investigators continue to gather facts. In Coryell County, the case now moves from the street to the courtroom, where later filings will help determine how the alleged ramming is ultimately judged under Texas law.