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Charges dropped against California doctor who drove Tesla carrying family off cliff
CNN • • nation
Key Points:
- All charges against radiologist Dharmesh Patel, accused of attempting to kill his family by driving off a cliff in 2023, were dismissed after he completed a two-year mental health diversion program.
- Patel was charged with attempted murder after the January 2023 crash along the Pacific Coast Highway that injured his wife and two young children, all of whom survived.
- A judge mandated dismissal of charges under California's mental health diversion law, which Patel qualified for due to episodic major depression and hallucinations at the time of the incident.
- Prosecutors opposed Patel’s diversion but were overruled; district attorneys are seeking legislative changes to exclude attempted murder from mental health diversion eligibility.
- Following the dismissal, Patel’s medical license was surrendered in December, and his wife expressed forgiveness, with the family reunited under court supervision.
