Dharmesh Patel, a 41-year-old Southern California radiologist, was charged by California authorities with three counts of attempted murder.
This follows the incident where the man allegedly drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff earlier this month while his family was inside the vehicle, Gizmodo reports.
Authorities Believe The Man Had Intent To Kill
Patel is accused of intentionally killing a 41-year-old passenger, a 7-year-old passenger, and a 4-year-old passenger by driving his car off Highway 1.
The other three passengers, whose identities have not been disclosed by the prosecution, were identified by California Highway Patrol (CHP) as Patel's wife, daughter, and son, respectively.
Steve Wagstaffe, the district attorney for San Mateo County, stated on Monday that after reviewing statements from Patel's wife, who was in the car and is still in the hospital.
The drivers who were following him were probed as well, and videos taken in the area of the incident on January 2 were also reviewed, which led to Patel's attempted murder charge.
According to court documents submitted by Dominique Davis, the deputy district attorney for San Mateo County, Patel, 41, was charged with three counts of attempted murder.
It is important to note that special allegations of domestic violence and the desire to commit grievous bodily harm are included in two of the counts, NBC News writes.
"We do believe the evidence establishes the necessary intent to kill," Wagstaffe said, even citing Patel's wife's testimony that he tried to kill his family.
At his appearance on Monday in the late afternoon before Judge Jeffrey Finigan of the San Mateo County Superior Court, Patel was denied bail for posing "potential danger to family members."
The encounter left the radiologist with "serious lower body injuries," but he was still brought to the San Mateo County Jail.
Read More: Tesla's New Fatal Crashes Face US Safety Regulators' Investigation
Authorities Clarify Tesla's Involvement In The Incident
The California Highway Patrol stated earlier this month that the car did not appear to be the perpetrator of the crash.
This is despite early concerns on whether the Tesla's self-driving mode was engaged given the company's risky history of accidents using its autopilot features.
The district attorney, Wagstaffe, stated on Monday that the Tesla was not operating in self-driving mode at the time of the collision and that thus far, no issues with the vehicle have been discovered.
Witnesses claimed Patel's Tesla had no brake lights on when it abruptly veered sharply to the right and plunged 250 feet down Devil's Slide.
The Tesla came to rest on its wheels upright, and the family's four members were all saved, according to Gizmodo.
Firefighters had to free the family from the debris, hoisting the parents by helicopter while using a rope system to pull the kids up the cliff in a rescue basket.
Since it was extremely unusual for anyone to survive an accident of this magnitude in this location, experts were shocked the family survived.
Wagstaffe stated that his agency was still looking into the specific reasons Patel chose to drive the Tesla off the cliff.
Related Article: Man May Have Intentionally Driven His Tesla Off a Cliff to Kill His Family
