A California jury has convicted Tracy Robert Blackwell, 62, of felony assault with a deadly weapon and a hate crime enhancement for a road rage incident that occurred in May 2023. The violent episode, which was caught on camera, involved Blackwell hurling racial slurs and nearly colliding with a Black family’s vehicle on an Oakland freeway. The case, which drew attention after a video of the altercation went viral, could lead to Blackwell serving up to seven years in prison.

The incident unfolded when Blackwell aggressively crossed several lanes of traffic to access an on-ramp for the I-880 freeway, cutting off a car driven by a Black mother of three. In response to the near-collision, the woman honked her horn, prompting Blackwell to erupt in a tirade of racial abuse. As both vehicles merged onto the freeway, Blackwell continued yelling the N-word and other expletives at the woman and her children. The woman’s 14-year-old daughter captured part of the altercation on her cellphone, including Blackwell swerving dangerously close to their car and throwing objects at the vehicle.

The disturbing footage shows Blackwell repeatedly shouting racial slurs, including half a dozen uses of the N-word. At one point, he can be seen jerking his steering wheel toward the family’s car, nearly causing a crash. Blackwell was arrested a few days after the incident, and on Sept. 5, an Alameda County jury found him guilty. “Not only was this incident dangerous, it was traumatizing because of the racial abuse that was part of the crime,” Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said in a statement. “We will not tolerate acts of racial hate in our community, especially when children are involved.”

Blackwell has a lengthy criminal history, including a conviction for sex offenses. In 2001, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, following an investigation in which police found videotapes of him engaging in child sexual abuse. He is also listed as a convicted sex offender in the California Megan’s Law database. Blackwell’s past crimes, combined with the hate crime enhancement in this case, are likely to influence his sentencing.