Jury Delivers Guilty Verdict in Violent Road Rage Hate Crime Assault on I-880 Freeway in Oakland

September 5, 2024

OAKLAND, CA — Today, District Attorney Pamela Price announced that a jury found Tracy Robert Blackwell (62) guilty of one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon and a hate crime enhancement. Mr. Blackwell faces 7 years in prison.

The testimony and facts presented at trial showed that on the afternoon of May 16, 2023, a mother with three children was driving on Hegenberger Road towards the southbound I-880 freeway onramp in Oakland. As the mother neared the onramp, Mr. Blackwell cut across all lanes traffic and pulled in front of her, nearly hitting her vehicle. The mother honked her horn at Mr. Blackwell. As the two cars proceeded to take the on-ramp onto the freeway, Mr. Blackwell began yelling the N-word and other obscenities at the mother and her three children. Once on the freeway, Mr. Blackwell drove parallel to the mother’s vehicle and continued yelling racial slurs at her and her children, while throwing unknown items at her car. The mother instructed her 14-year-old daughter to film this terrifying encounter on her cell phone. The video evidence captured Mr. Blackwell yelling the “N” word multiple times. The video showed that he quickly jerked his steering wheel to the left, nearly causing his car to collide with the family’s vehicle.

“I first want to thank the jury for their diligent work in delivering this guilty verdict and holding Mr. Blackwell accountable for a hate crime,” said DA Pamela Price. “I also want to thank Deputy DA Laura Anderson for effectively prosecuting this case involving a Black family. 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.”

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Contact: damedia@acgov.org

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.