A California man publicly displayed his disdain for Mexicans by attacking a Mexican man while driving on the highway. The incident occurred on Sand Canyon Avenue near the Interstate 5 Freeway. A video uploaded by the victim’s wife on TikTok documented the moment the attacker drove up to the Mexican man in a white van. He sped up to the victim and yelled at him, nearly causing a collision on the highway. Despite almost causing an accident, the racist man proceeded to throw his hot cup of coffee into the Mexican man’s vehicle while yelling racial slurs.
The victim recorded how the beverage landed all over his hands and car.
According to the context given in the post’s caption, the victim was on his way to work and had done nothing to provoke the attack. However, the attacker, later identified as Robert Tackett, violently spoke to him and called him a “beaner.”
The victim’s wife wrote, “This guy called my husband a ‘beaner’ and then threw his coffee at him. He wanted to be recorded, so now is his time to shine, so everyone can see how racist he is.”
She further lamented about the situation, writing that Trump has normalized racist behaviour in the country. Regardless, she added that she and her husband are “PROUD to be MEXICANS” and are proud of where they came from.
In a video that surfaced later, Tackett was found to be the owner of OC Air & Heating Services. A social media user discovered Yelp reviews for his business and noted several red flags in his responses to customers.
Notably, the victim reported the incident to the police and presented his video as evidence. According to an Instagram post from the Irvine Police Department, Tackett was taken into custody and was charged with hate crime and aggravated assault.
“A man suspected of committing a hate-motivated assault during a road rage incident has been taken into custody…” a statement from the police read.
The video of the incident went viral, and several social media users expressed outrage over Tackett’s blatant racism. One user wrote, “They really want a race war. I didn’t know I could possess this much hate.” Another commented, “Absolutely disgusting f*cking coward throws his coffee at this man. I’m so sorry that happened to your husband.”
One user commended the victim for remaining silent and not responding to Tacket during the attack. Another agreed with the victim’s wife, writing that Trump had a role to play in the attacker’s actions. “I honestly feel after this whole TRUMP situation, people are being super racist and not holding back.”
Another user wrote, “Him shaking after is so infuriating to me, this world is so sad! People are becoming proud of what they should be ashamed of.”
The Irvine Police Department has urged other victims and witnesses to come forward to help with the investigation.
