Man Who Drove Family Off Cliff in Tesla Granted Mental Health Diversion [Video]

The California man accused of driving his Tesla off a cliff with his family inside the vehicle reportedly will not stand trial.

A judge granted Dharmesh Patel, who was charged with three counts of attempted murder in 2023, a mental health diversion on Thursday, June 20. Now, instead of facing a criminal trial, he will be freed in order to obtain treatment, according to a statement from the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office obtained by KRON, CNN and CBS News.

The statement said that after reviewing “all the evidence,” the judge “concluded the proper diagnosis for the defendant’s mental illness was major depressive disorder,” which qualified him for the diversion.

The District Attorney’s Office added that it would still be several weeks before Patel would be released from jail and allowed to return to his parent’s home in Belmont.

Patel would still continue to be monitored by GPS …