Key West, FL – An Ohio police chief was arrested while on vacation in Key West last week after he allegedly assaulted a random homeless man without provocation.

The series of events leading up to 40-year-old Boston Heights Police Department (BHPD) Chief Chad McArdle’s arrest began at approximately 1 a.m. on July 28, when a taxi driver called 911 to report that a shirtless man was banging on the door of his car while claiming someone stabbed him in his face and chest, WKBN reported.

Chief McArdle allegedly told the taxicab driver someone was trying to kill him and to call police.

The driver said the apparent victim was crying and laying on the sidewalk as he begged for help, WKBN reported.

Police responded to the scene and eventually located Chief McArdle standing on a street corner without any shoes.

They said he “was stressed out and appeared lost,” but that he did not appear to have any stab wounds, WKBN reported.

Investigators noted Chief McArdle did have multiple minor scratches on his face.

The police chief allegedly claimed he had been dragged out of a nearby bar by two men and forced into a car, although he was unable to provide police with a description of the vehicle, WKBN reported.

He further alleged that one of the men whom he said abducted him stabbed him repeatedly in the chest and face with a stick inside the car, but he was also unable provide a description of the weapon or the suspect, according to investigators.

Chief McArdle claimed he ultimately took the stick away from his alleged attacker, then used it to stab one of the two men in the throat, WKBN reported.

Police said Chief McArdle told them the man he stabbed most likely died.

He claimed the two men yanked him back out of the vehicle at that point and dragged him to an alley, where they allegedly continued to brawl, WKBN reported.

But Chief McArdle did not have any blood on his body or hands, according to police.

“McArdle’s statements continued to contradict each other,” investigators noted in their report.

Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and examined Chief McArdle, but they did not find any wounds on his body, WKBN reported.

He also refused to go to the hospital.

Investigators said they proceeded to search for evidence regarding Chief McArdle’s claims, to include checking the bar’s surveillance videos, but nothing confirmed his account, WKBN reported.

As they continued to scour the area, police came upon a homeless man who told them Chief McArdle had attacked him in a nearby alley earlier in the night, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

The unidentified victim said the police chief kicked him repeatedly in his back.

Investigators determined Chief McArdle attacked the victim for “no apparent reason,” and ultimately arrested him on a misdemeanor battery charge, WEWS reported.

He was released from the Monroe County Jail on a $2,500 bond later that day, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

Boston Heights Mayor Bill Goncy said Chief McArdle has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues, WKBN reported.

His arraignment is slated to take place on Aug. 17.

Goncy said Chief McArdle joined the BHPD as a part-time officer in 2007, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

He became a full-time officer in 2013, and has been at the helm of the department since 2019.