Man who yelled slurs at Black family on I-880 convicted of assault with a deadly weapon

( KRON ) — A Newark man who was caught on video yelling slurs at a Black family on I-880 last year was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Tracy Robert Blackwell, 62, was captured yelling the “n word” while driving a white Jeep on southbound I-880 near Hegenberger Road on May 16, 2023. Blackwell also tried to ram the family’s car, DA Pamela Price’s office said.

As the vehicles were merging onto I-880 from Hegenberger Road, Blackwell cut across all lanes of traffic and cut off the victim’s car. The woman driving honked at Blackwell, and he began to yell the “n word” and other curse words at the woman and her three children.

Once the cars got on the freeway, Blackwell drove next to the victims’ car and continued to yell racial slurs while throwing items at the car.

The driver told her 14-year-old daughter to film the encounter, and it showed Blackwell yelling slurs, sticking his middle finger at the family and jerking his car toward the victims.

He did not hit the family’s car, instead crashing into a wall on the freeway’s right shoulder.

“Not only was this incident dangerous, it was traumatizing because of the racial abuse that was part of the crime. My office will not countenance any acts of racial hate in our community, especially when there are children involved,” Price said.

Blackwell has a criminal history. In 2001, he was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age. He is a registered sex offender in California.

His felony conviction of assault with a deadly weapon includes a hate crime enhancement. He faces seven years in prison.

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