Doctor Is Killed Trying to Stop Theft of His Mercedes

Rakesh Patel was run over by his own vehicle
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 11, 2022 1:30 AM CST

A carjacking took an extremely dark turn on Tuesday in Washington, DC, where a 33-year-old doctor was run over by his own Mercedes. The Washington Post reports Rakesh Patel left his car running in the Adams Morgan neighborhood around 8pm as he brought a package to his girlfriend. They embraced, and police say at least one person entered the idling car as his back was turned. Patel was run over and killed while subsequently trying to chase after the vehicle. The Mercedes E350 was recovered the following day roughly five miles to the north, near the Maryland line. No arrests have been made, though police have released footage of persons of interest who were seen exiting the car, though neither of them were driving.

NBC Washington reports witnesses on Wednesday saw people dousing the car's interior with bleach and removing the floor mats. Patel’s girlfriend, Rachel Lincoln, watched as he was killed and describes the situation as a "nightmare." She tells the Post Patel was extremely dedicated to his patients at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She repeated part of an email the hospital sent to staff about Patel's death that described him as someone who would "stop and pick up a morning cup of coffee for a patient who was struggling and didn’t have a lot of support." (More carjacking stories.)

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