A 54-year-old Irvine man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of a racially motivated road rage conflict in the city.
Robert Leon Tackett was arrested about 2:30 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of aggravated assault and a hate crime, said Kyle Oldoerp, a spokesman for the Irvine Police Department.
Tackett was seen “yelling” at a garbage truck driver about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday when the victims in another car nearby passed by south on San Canyon Avenue near the Santa Ana (5) Freeway, Oldoerp said.
For some reason, Tackett’s attention was drawn to the other driver and he followed them, Oldoerp said. Tackett was accused of “driving aggressively and swerving into their lane multiple times,” Oldoerp said, adding it nearly caused a crash.
Tackett shouted racial epithets against Latinos at the driver before hurling a cup of hot coffee into their car, splashing the victim’s face, hands and the inside of his car, Oldoerp said.
The driver made a video of the conflict and posted it on Instagram, Oldoerp said. The conflict was reported to police late Wednesday night, Oldoerp said.
Investigators asked anyone with relevant information about the suspect to contact them at rsteen@cityofirvine.org.