A US court has barred a radiologist, Dharmesh Patel, a 41-year-old Indian-origin doctor from practising medicine as he is facing multiple attempted murder charges for driving his family off a cliff in California, a media report said.
In January, Patel was charged with three counts of murder for intentionally driving a Tesla off a cliff with his wife and two children inside.
A motion by the Medical Board of California to restrict Patel from practising medicine, particularly if he is released on bail, was authorised by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Rachel Holt at a hearing on Monday, according to a media report earlier this week.
The regulators argued in court filings this week that Patel posed an alarming risk to the public due to an impairment of cognitive abilities required to safely practise medicine, according to a media report.
Public protection, therefore, requires that Defendant be prohibited from practising medicine throughout the pendency of his criminal case, the medical board’s motion said.
Regulators also cited comments made by Patel’s wife after her rescue. She told an emergency worker that Patel did it on purpose, adding later that he drove off, the report said. “He’s depressed,” said Patel’s wife, according to court documents. “He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off,” she said.
Currently, Patel, who resides in Pasadena, California, is being held without bail in the San Mateo County jail since his arrest. Investigators suspect that he intentionally drove his family off a cliff near Devil’s Slide along Highway 1, causing the vehicle to plummet 250 feet onto a rocky beach.
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