The driver of the Tesla that plunged 250 feet off a cliff in California on Monday has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse.
On Monday (January 2) an official from the Cal Fire San Mateo - Santa Cruz unit posted a video on Twitter to inform the public about delays in the area due to a car falling off the cliff side.
The drop in California is known as the Devil's Slide and four people, two of which were children, plummeted 250 feet leaving them in critical condition in the hospital.
Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for the Coastside Fire Protection District told the San Francisco Chronicle: "We go down there quite a bit for vehicles off the cliff, and normally they're not alive," before adding that they saw an arm moving in the front window indicating that somebody had survived the crash.
The rescue team was able to safely extract the four individuals from the wreckage where they were then airlifted to the hospital to receive treatment.
As reported by CBS News, Dharmesh A. Patel, of Pasadena, California was behind the wheel of the Tesla when it plummeted down the Devil's Slide.
Officials have now revealed that Patel has been arrested following the incident for attempted murder and child abuse.
Charging documents obtained by CBS show that Patel was arrested at 09:00 PM on Monday night, but he remains in the hospital to receive treatment. Once he has made a recovery he will be transported to the San Mateo County Jail.
The documents also reveal the ages of the passengers to be a 41-year-old woman, a seven-year-old girl, and a four-year-old boy - with their relation to the driver still unconfirmed.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said: "CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene. Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act."
Tesla is an electric car brand that has self-driving capabilities, alongside manual control. The CHP has indicated that they are unsure what driving mode the vehicle was in when it went over the cliff, but whatever mode the car was in "does not appear to be a contributing factor in this incident."
Patel has not yet been charged, and more information is expected to be released as the investigation progresses.
