Who is Dharmish Patel? Judge drops attempted murder charges against California radiologist who pushed family over cliff
A radiologist who drove his car off a cliff off the coast of Northern California in 2023 was suspected of trying to kill his family, but a judge dismissed the charges against him after he completed a mental health program, CNN reported.
Dharmesh Patel, 45, was charged with attempted murder by prosecutors after the Tesla he was driving careened off a 250-foot cliff on the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County. His wife and two young children were injured, but all four survived the crash on January 2, 2023, which officials described as an “absolute miracle.”
Patel completed a two-year mental health diversion program with a Stanford University psychiatrist and family therapist this week, and a San Mateo County judge dismissed the charges on Monday, July 6, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
“The law requires a judge to dismiss the charges,” Wagstaff said.
Who is Dharmish Patel?
Patel is a radiologist in Pasadena. The Indian-born doctor was on a family road trip in the Bay Area when the incident occurred.
After his arrest, Wagstaff said he told a psychiatrist that he was depressed and had fantasies about his children, who were 4 and 7 at the time of the accident, being trafficked by kidnappers.
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Back in 2024, another judge ruled that Patel would receive mental health treatment instead of going to trial. The ruling came after defense lawyers argued he was experiencing intermittent severe depression with hallucinations at the time of the incident and was eligible for mental health diversion california Law effective in 2023.
“If a person who receives a mental health diversion follows a treatment plan, there’s nothing that can be done and after two years, his record will be expunged,” Wagstaff said.
San Mateo prosecutors unsuccessfully opposed Patel’s transfer.
Wagstaff and other California district attorneys argue that attempted murder should be excluded from eligibility for mental health diversion. They believe the law needs to be changed and have been working with lawmakers to do so.
“We will try again in the future,” he said of the law. “We won’t give up.”
Patel is being held in jail without bail until he is released in 2024 and completes an outpatient mental health treatment program. He then moved to San Mateo County to live with his parents. He was monitored via a GPS bracelet and had to surrender his driver’s license and passport. He was also required to check in with the court weekly.
California Medical Board ultimately bans Patel from practicing medicine, and he faces trial murder charges. He surrendered his California medical license in December, the board said Tuesday, July 7.
Patel’s wife and children also moved to the Bay Area. Later, the court allowed him to spend time with his family and even take them out for drives.
Patel later testified that she forgave his wife and hoped he would not be prosecuted, adding that the children missed him and wanted him home.
His wife was seen in the court gallery on Monday, where she was waiting for him after the charges were dismissed. The pair then left the building together, the Mercury News reported.
