RIVERSIDE, Calif. () — After a man was arrested for allegedly breaking down the door of a Riverside home, his father said the 34-year-old suspect was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
There was a time when Saad Patel had hopes and dreams. He studied biology at UC Berkeley with plans of becoming a dentist. But his family says mental illness slowly chipped away at the future he once imagined.
“He was always in a gate program. He is very very smart person. He got into Berkeley without no money… all scholarships,” his father, Mohammad Patel, said.
Patel said his son was diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia in 2013, a life-altering diagnosis that marked the beginning of an endless cycle of doctors, hospitals, and medications.
“I used to go with him to all his appointments, but one time I could not go and he told the doctor he don’t want the shot no more,” the father said.
Eventually, that led to another cycle involving erratic behaviors that landed Saad in courtrooms and time spent behind bars.
“FBI come to my house and I told them he need help,” Mohammad Patel said. “I really appreciate if you put him in the mental hospital and provide proper help.” He said Saad spent 14 days in the hospital that time.
The 34-year-old was arrested again on Tuesday, days after a violent encounter Sunday evening outside a Riverside home. Ring camera surveillance video helped identify Saad Patel to police. Officers then showed up at Mohammad Patel’s door, breaking it down while searching for his son, who has not lived there since the family obtained a restraining order. Instead, Saad had been homeless, living out of his car.
Mohammad Patel said he visited the Riverside home where the encounter happened and apologized to the family while offering to pay for a new door. The family kindly refused, instead offering to drop their case if Saad got help.
“Tax money should be spent in this country have hospital, have everything people really need especially mental health and homeless people.”
The Patel family’s story reflects the struggle many families face when a loved one battles serious mental illness navigating a complicated system of doctors, courts, and rises. Too often, those struggles end up in the one place not designed to treat the illness: our jails.
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