Mental health company founder allegedly starts fire, crashes Tesla in Bay Area winery meltdown

The founder of a mental health company went berserk at a Bay Area winery and allegedly tried to start a fire, hurled a bottle of wine and crashed his Tesla into two parked cars over the weekend.It was a “wild scene in Saratoga” when suspect Beri Vikram, 42, allegedly went off the rails at Garrod Farms Estate Winery & Stables on Saturday, Santa Clara Sheriff’s office said. The mayhem began when staff at the swanky venue — which acts as an equestrian center and winery — noticed Vikram allegedly trying to start a fire. When workers at the estate confronted Vikram, who is the founder of BetterLYF Wellness, an online mental health counseling platform, he allegedly took a wine bottle and chucked it, Santa Clara Sheriff’s office said. Vikram then got into his Tesla and allegedly intentionally rammed it into two parked cars, sending one of them over an embankment, the sheriff’s office said. His car then careened over the embankment, where he was met by police.

Vikram refused to be taken into custody, and after “several de-escalation attempts,” deputies had to use pepperball and spray to force him out of the car. Vikram, who founded his mental health company in 2016, then crawled out of the car and was taken to the hospital for evaluation, the sheriff’s office said. He was later booked at the County of Santa Clara main jail and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest....