Update To Arrest Of Michael Spielberger, Allegedly “Drifting” On Glades Road In Boca Raton.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2023 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Was a Boca Raton man doing donuts on Glades Road — right in front of a cop — or was he merely skidding? That will be up to a judge to decide after the arrest of 24-year-old Michael Spielberger.
We first reported on Spielberger’s arrest on Sunday, after the Palm Beach County Jail told BocaNewsNow.com that he was booked on a charge of “Operating Motor Vehicle To Film Race (or) Competition.” Our reporting led to a family of Spielberger disputing the arrest, saying police got it wrong. That Spielberger was merely dropping of his girlfriend when he skidded on wet roads.
But the police report obtained by BocaNewsNow.com offers a different view, as described in this official narrative:
“On 07-22-2023 at 2004 hours, I observed the following incident while at 200 W Glades on a routine patrol in the city of Boca Raton. While sitting in a shopping center parking lot on the southwest corner of NW 2nd Avenue and Glades Rd, I observed a white BMW coupe approach the light to make a left-hand turn to head westbound onto W Glades Road. The left lane light turned green, and the vehicle proceeded to rev up the engine, before releasing the clutch. Upon releasing the clutch, the vehicle’s wheels broke traction causing an audible screech of the tires. I observed the driver drift the left-hand turn by throwing out the back and of his vehicle. (Drift- means a maneuver performed while operating a motor vehicle whereby the motor vehicle is steered so that it makes a controlled skid sideways through a turn with the front wheels pointed in a direction opposite to that of the turn.)
Upon making the left-hand turn, the white BMW lost control causing it to spin out, facing eastbound in the west-bound lanes. Upon initially spinning out, the vehicle almost crossed the center median on W Glades Rd. into opposite traffic. While facing east in the west-bound lanes, the driver began doing donuts. (Donut- means a maneuver performed while operating a motor vehicle whereby the front or rear of the motor vehicle is rotated around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous motion which may cause a circular skid-mark pattern of rubber on the driving surface or the tires to heat up and emit smoke from friction, or both.)
I initiated a traffic stop on the white BMW bearing FL tag FH340, at 400 W Glades in the west-bound lanes. The vehicle stopped at 1330 Nw 4th Ct. Upon speaking with the driver, Michael Spielberger, he stated he “didn’t mean to do it and didn’t not mean to do it”. He insisted that his actions were accidental, despite this having occurred in my presence as well as the presence of Ofc. Owirka. An additional witness advised that he observed the incident.
Based on my observations of the driver prior to the incident and during the incident, I found that he was in violation of F.s. S. 316.191 (b), Stunt Driving/ Drifting, after he knowingly and intentionally attempted to drift his vehicle on a left-hand turn from NW 2nd Avenue onto W Glades Rd.”
We note that Spielberger was arraigned shortly after his arrest, but that prosecutors have not yet officially filed an intent to pursue charges. Spielberger received multiple citations from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office just days before his arrest by Boca Raton PD. On July 18th, he was cited for attaching a license plate to his car that was not assigned to his car, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving while his was license suspended or revoked (which a family member says is incorrect), driving without proof of insurance, and driving while not wearing a seatbelt.
He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and later released on his own recognizance.
