OAN Roy Francis
UPDATED 8:16 AM PT – Tuesday, January 31, 2023
California prosecutors officially filed attempted murder charges against a driver whose Tesla had went over a cliff nearly killing himself and his passengers on Monday.
According to court documents that were filed by San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Dominique Davis, Dharmesh Patel, 41, was charged with three counts of attempted murder. Two of the charges include special allegations of domestic violence and intent to cause great bodily injury.
The Tesla was driving south along Highway 1 when it had plunged off the road. The driver, Patel, along with all the passengers, which included his wife and two kids who were seven and four years old, had all miraculously survived.
A San Mateo judge had granted the request to hold Patel without bail at the Maguire Correctional Facility on Monday. The judge said the reason he granted the request was the danger that Patel poses to his family, he had also granted a stay away order for Patel’s family.
The 41-year-old was set to be arraigned on Monday, but his attorney asked for a delay of 10 days.
After the incident on January 2nd, District Attorney Steve Wagstaff had told reporters that authorities are thoroughly inspecting the vehicle to see whether it may have experienced any mechanical issues during the crash. California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Andrew had also said that he did not believe the vehicle was in self-driving mode during the incident.
California officials believe that Patel had intentionally driven the vehicle off the road, and are asking any additional witnesses to call the CHP in the San Francisco area at 415-557-1094.
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