PHOENIX, AZ — The bizarre behavior of a Valley doctor arrested after two hit-and-run accidents led police to recommend charges of endangerment, aggravated assault, and driving under the influence of drugs.
On June 16, 2018, DPS arrested Ganesh Murthy on the frontage road of I-17 near Peoria Avenue.
According to 911 calls, witnesses reported that after Murthy's SUV hit other cars, he got out, jumped on the hood of waiting vehicles, and ran away.
Witness Brea Core said while he ran, her boyfriend hopped in the still-moving SUV to put it in park.
"I mean, I was like rattled. Just I've never seen anything like that before," Core said.
And it wasn't over.
As she and her boyfriend pulled into their destination a half-mile from the scene, she says DPS was taking the driver into custody.
"He was screaming at the top of his lungs 'help me help me; I didn't do anything I'm innocent help me,'" Core said.
Murthy's arrest report shows things started a couple of miles north near Thunderbird Road, where he'd hit a pick-up truck earlier.
"He was so out of control it just doesn't make sense," Core said.
In all three crashes, people were hurt, but we found out Murthy's job is to heal.
Murthy, a neurologist at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, was is at the beginning of a fellowship.
His erratic behavior during his arrest prompted the police to test him for drugs. The arrest report says Murthy had to be "restrained by three officers" to complete the blood draw.
Police body camera shows Murthy repeatedly yelling, "Acid! I'm gonna die. Shrooms. Am I God?"
DPS recommended three counts of endangerment, two counts of aggravated assault, leaving the scene of a collision with injury, leaving the scene of a collision with damage, and driving under the influence of drugs.
And more than a year later, no official charges have been filed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
We wanted to know why.
Despite mentioning shrooms and acid a combined 27 times during his arrest, a toxicology report only showed THC--or marijuana--in his blood.
He admitted as much to police in an interview captured by a police body-camera.
"I must have smoked some weed at some point in time," Murthy said to DPS officer.
Still, even with evidence of people injured, property damaged, and taking off from the scene, the Maricopa County Attorney's office told ABC15 it's still gathering "all the necessary information" to make a charging decision.
Core says, based on what she saw, she's not sure what's taking so long.
"I've seen accidents, but this was so much worse because of the way that he acted and the fact that he left," she says.
Barrow Neurological Institute released a statement saying:
"We are aware of the situation and take it very seriously. Ganesh Murthy’s employment status is a Human Resources matter, and our policy is not to comment on HR matters."
Murthy declined to comment on our story, according to his attorney.
