Pasadena doctor who drove family over cliff has charges dismissed

The criminal case against a California doctor accused of intentionally driving his family off a 300-foot cliff in the Bay Area has been abruptly dismissed after a judge determined he had made sufficient progress in a court-ordered mental health treatment program.

Dharmesh Patel, 45, a Pasadena radiologist, had faced three counts of attempted murder after authorities alleged he deliberately drove his Tesla off Devil’s Slide in Pacifica, in San Mateo County, in January 2023, according to the Bay Area News Group.

A San Mateo County judge dismissed the charges after receiving reports from Patel’s doctors indicating he was doing well in the mental health diversion program he had been placed in, the outlet reported.

Patel’s wife, 41, and the couple’s two young children — a 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son — were inside the Tesla when it plunged roughly 300 feet down the cliff.

All four family members miraculously survived the crash.

During a 2024 hearing, Patel’s attorneys argued he was suffering from major depressive disorder at the time of the wreck, while psychologists testified he experienced a psychotic break.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who opposed Patel’s placement in the diversion program, blasted the decision to dismiss the case.

“He got the break of a lifetime,” Wagstaffe told Bay Area News Group.

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