Indian-origin doc who drove Tesla off cliff with family inside experienced ‘psychotic’ break: Report
Los Angeles, Apr 28: An Indian-origin radiologist who drove his Tesla off a cliff in the US with his wife and children inside allegedly suffered from major depressive disorder and was experiencing a psychotic break at the time of the incident, media reports quoted two doctors testifying at a recent hearing.
Dharmesh Patel from Pasadena, California was charged in January last year with three counts of attempted murder after he drove the family’s Tesla off the cliff at Devil’s Slide on Highway 1 near Half Moon Bay, according to prosecutors.
Patel, his wife, Neha, and their children — a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy at the time — miraculously survived.
Patel, 43, was experiencing hallucinations, hearing footsteps and believed his children had been sex trafficked, two doctors testified at a hearing on Wednesday in Redwood City.
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Wednesday’s hearing was a response to an earlier request from Patel who is seeking a mental health diversion in his case, the New York Post newspaper reported.
If a judge grants the doctors' request, Patel would be placed on a two-year treatment plan instead of receiving jail time.
Patel’s charges would be dropped if he doesn’t commit any crimes during the proposed treatment plan.
At the time of the crash, the doctors testified, Patel was experiencing a psychotic episode in which he believed that his children might be sex trafficked, Los Angeles Times newspaper quoted District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe as saying.
Doctors -- Mark Patterson and James Armontrout -- testified for the defence.
If Patel is placed in the mental diversion program, James Armontrout, a Stanford psychiatric clinician, will oversee the treatment.
“I see him as someone who is very motivated and amenable to treatment,” psychologist Mark Patterson testified at the hearing.
Patterson’s diagnosis of Patel came after a series of 18 tests were conducted and he spoke with the doctor and his siblings.
Prosecutors oppose diversion in the case, arguing that the prosecution’s doctor found Patel is not suffering from a major depressive disorder with a psychotic feature, but from a different disorder, known as schizoaffective, and that the defence’s proposed treatment plan will not be effective.
Prosecutors believe the case should remain in court.
Wagstaffe worried that if Patel is released he will not be monitored except in his meetings with doctors.
“If he goes off his medication, how do you know? It’s not like being on probation or parole. It’s purely the visits with the psychiatrist,” he said.
Patel’s attorney, Joshua Bentley, did not respond to a request for comment, the report said.
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Congress welcomed into TVK alliance with festive fervour
Chennai (PTI): All eyes are on TVK headquarters in Panaiyur here, as a delegation of Congress MLAs arrived for a high-profile meeting with actor-turned-politician Vijay.
The visual of the legislators entering the TVK premises has sent ripples through the state’s political corridors, signalling a potential shift in traditional alliances ahead of the upcoming electoral cycles.
The atmosphere at the TVK office remained charged, with supporters and onlookers gathering as the Congress leaders were ushered in for the closed-door interaction. The Congress leaders were welcomed by the TVK party chief and Chief Minister-designate with garlands and silk shawls.
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While the meeting was officially termed a "courtesy call", the optics of established national party representatives engaging with the fledgling party’s top brass suggest a strategic warming of ties.
Insiders indicate that the discussions touched upon the prevailing political climate in Tamil Nadu, though both camps have remained tight-lipped regarding specific tactical understandings.
The visuals go viral, even as TVK followers are getting ready for the swearing-in of their 'Thalapathy' on May 7.
