YOLO COUNTY, Calif. — A Woodland man is facing up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of ramming a car full of people driving to a graduation party.
According to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, 51-year-old Danny Alan Byrd was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and assault with force on Tuesday.
The road rage crash happened the night of June 26, 2021, as four people were driving from Vacaville to Woodland for a graduation party.
Prosecutors say the four were going north on Highway 113 when Byrd started tailgating them and rear-ended their vehicle twice.
One of the passengers called 911 to report what happened and said they were following Byrd so they could get his license plate number for the operator.
They pulled off the freeway at the East Street exit of Interstate 5 after getting a picture of his plate when Byrd swerved off the freeway and started driving towards them on the exit ramp.
The driver tried to brake but hit the rear side of Byrd’s truck, which stopped at an angle trapping them between the guardrail and his truck.
Prosecutors say Byrd got out and smashed the driver’s window. The shattered glass cut two of the four people inside and injured the driver’s eye causing permanent vision loss.
Byrd drove off and was found by CHP after he ran a red light. A truck driver witnessed it all and followed Byrd so CHP would know he tried to run the four people off the road.
Byrd will be sentenced July 12 and faces up to 10 years in prison. He also has three pending narcotics sales cases that could get him additional prison time.
