Charges dropped against California doctor accused of driving family off Devil's Slide

Attempted murder charges were dismissed against a doctor who drove himself and his family off a cliff along the California coast, prosecutors said.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the case against 45-year-old Dharvish Arvin Patel of Pasadena was dropped at a mental health court hearing on Monday. Prosecutors said Patel completed a two-year mental health diversion program, which entitled him to a complete dismissal of the charges.

At Monday's hearing, Judge Sharon Cho dismissed all charges, lifted the no harassment order for his family and ordered his passport to be released to him, prosecutors said.  

Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder following the Jan. 2, 2023 incident. According to authorities, Patel was behind the wheel of his Tesla with his wife and two young children along Highway 1.

After leaving the Tom Lantos Tunnel south of Pacifica, authorities said Patel drove up a hill at Devil's Slide and turned over the cliff, plunging 250 feet to the rocks below.

All four occupants survived, with one of Patel's children suffering minor injuries. The family had spent time visiting relatives in the San Francisco Bay Area before the incident.

In 2024, Judge Susan M. Jakubowski found Patel was "eligible and suitable" for mental health diversion.

"Judge Jakubowski made a lengthy statement concluding the defendant was suitable for mental health diversion.  She stated that after review of all the evidence, she had concluded the proper diagnosis for the defendant's mental illness was major depressive disorder which is a qualifying mental disorder under the statute," the DA's office said after the 2024 ruling.

Following his release from jail, Patel was monitored by GPS and ordered to live at his parents' home in Belmont. He was also ordered to undergo drug testing, abstain from alcohol and drugs and to surrender his driver's license and passport.