BOYNTON BEACH POLICE NAB SUSPECT. KNIFE RECOVERED.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOYNTON BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boynton Beach man is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly stabbing a Lyft driver near Bethesda Hospital East early Sunday morning. The victim was rushed to Delray Medical Center which is a trauma center.
Michael Radler, Jr., is now charged with attempted first degree murder with a deadly weapon. His booking photo was released just after 4 p.m. Sunday.
This is the complete verbatim of the police report just provided to BocaNewsNow.com. It is written by one of the responding officers.
ARREST REPORT
“On September 12th, 2021 at approximately 0451 hours, BBPD received several phone calls in reference to an accident that just occurred in the area of 2700 S. Seacrest Blvd involving a white vehicle and a motorbike. The callers further advised that the male on the motorbike stabbed the driver of the vehicle and left the scene. Once, BBPD arrived on scene, a male / victim was located with severe lacerations to his face, chest, back and arms. The victim was ultimately transported to Delray Medical Center as a trauma alert by BBFR. BBPD then made contact with several witnesses on scene who advised the male who stabbed the victim left the area southbound on Seacrest Blvd on his motorbike. The witnesses described the male as a W / M, brown hair, with a beard and wearing shorts.
Based on such, BBPD detectives were called out from home to assist in the investigation and local BOLO was issued for the male on the motorbike. At approximately 0530 hours, DBPD made contact with a male matching the above description in the area of Lake Ida Drive and Congress Ave. A show up was conducted in which two witnesses from the scene were able to positively identify the male with DBPD (who was identified as Michael Radler Jr.) as the male who they witnessed stab the victim. Radler was transported to BBPD. Upon arrival to the city, I first responded to the area of 2700 S. Seacrest Blvd where I was able to make contact with three separate witnesses of the above incident after they completed the show up. Witness 1 advised she was unable to make an identification of the male who was with DBPD because it was too poorly light outside where the incident occurred and she was unable to get a good look. Witness 1 stated she was outside of Bethesda Hospital (located at 2815 S. Seacrest Blvd) when she heard the accident occur on S. Seacrest Blvd. Witness 1 stated she therefore walked over to the accident to check on the wellbeing of the involved parties. Once Witness 1 walked up to the scene she observed a W / M exchange words with the driver of the other vehicle before retrieving a 12-15-inch knife from the motorbike. Witness 1 stated the W / M then began to attack the driver for no reason. Witness 1 stated the driver of the vehicle did nothing to influence the W / M to attack him with a knife.
I then spoke with Witness 2 and 3 whom both advised the driver of the vehicle was their Lyft driver for the night. Witness 2 and 3 stated they were traveling southbound on Seacrest Blvd when they were involved in an accident with a motorbike which caused them to then hit a tree. Witness 2 and 3 stated after the accident occurred they both exited the vehicle with their driver who went to check on the status of the male on the motorbike. Witness 2 and 3 stated after their driver spoke with the driver of the motorbike, the driver came over to where they were standing to check on them and that was when the other male attacked him.
Witness 2 and 3 stated they observed the male who was driving the motorbike holding a large knife in his hands that he used to stab and attack their driver without cause. Both Witness 2 and 3 stated their driver did nothing to prompt the male on the motorbike to attack him. Both Witness 2 and 3 stated when they observed the altercation start they both fled on foot and made contact with the police a short time after when they arrived. Witness 2 and 3 stated the male who they observed stab their driver was the male they observed with DBPD during the show up. All three statements were sworn, recorded and later entered into evidence.
During this time, Detective Joseph responded to Delray Medical Center where he was able to make contact with the victim who suffered serve lacerations to his face including a flayed left side of his face from his temple to his jaw line, a puncture / stab wound to right temple, a stab wound to back of the neck, a collapsed lung, and several slash wounds to his right and left forearms / biceps which are consistent with defensive wounds. The victim was able to provide a sworn statement before undergoing surgery at which time he stated he was driving his Lyft customers home when he was involved in a traffic crash on Seacrest Blvd. The victim stated after the crash occurred, he got out of his vehicle and went to check on the status of the other involved party that was on a motorbike. In that time frame the driver of the motorbike produced a knife and began to stab him multiple times which caused him to fall to the ground.
The victim stated while he was on the ground, the male got on top of him and continued to stab / cut him with the knife. The victim stated the male also punched him multiple times in the face and eye before fleeing the scene on his motorbike. | then responded to BBPD where I made contact with Radler who agreed to provide a sworn statement post Miranda.
At approximately 1030 hours, BBPD received a call from a homeowner in the area of (redacted) who advised a large knife was located on their property in a bush. BBPD responded to the location and recovered the large knife which matched the description of the knife Radler used. Additionally, video surveillance footage from a Ring video Doorbell captured a male matching the same description as Radler in the area of (redacted) under a covered front porch awning at 0524 hours on a motorbike evading the PBSO Eagle and PD in the area.
Given the above statements, confession and physical evidence, I find probable cause to charge Radler with one count of Attempted First Degree Murder with a Deadly Weapon (With Aggravated Battery and Aggravated Assault lessers) as Radler did unlawfully attempt to commit First Degree Murder, an offense prohibited by law, and in such attempt did an act toward the commission of such offense by stabbing / cutting, and during the commission or attempt to commit First Degree Murder, Radler did carry, display, use, threaten, or attempt to use a large knife, a weapon, and / or actually and intentionally touched or struck VICTIM against the will of VICTIM, and in doing so used a deadly weapon and / or in doing so intentionally and knowingly caused great bodily harm, permanent disability and / or permanent disfigurement to VICTIM, and / or intentionally and unlawfully did threaten by word or act to do violence to the person of VICTIM, coupled with the apparent ability to do so, by the above described act, which created a well founded fear in VICTIM that such violence was imminent, but Radler failed in the perpetration or was intercepted or prevented in the execution of First Degree Murder, contrary to Florida Statutes 777.04 (1) and 782.04 (1) (a) ( 1) and 775.087 (1).”
Radler was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
