Crash kills two Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies; third deputy hospitalized

UPDATED Friday, Nov. 22. Authorities release names of deceased deputies and latest on investigation

Two Palm Beach Sheriff's Office deputies were killed Thursday morning after being struck by a vehicle on Southern Boulevard near Loxahatchee, according to law enforcement officials.

PBSO reported that another deputy was hospitalized and remains in critical but stable condition.

Authorities named the two deceased police officers on Friday: Corporal Luis Paez and Deputy Sheriff Ralph Waller. The injured police officer is Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday directed that flags of the United States and the State of Florida be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds throughout Palm Beach County from 3:00 p.m. to sunset next Friday, Nov. 22, and from sunrise to sunset, on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Corporal Paez began his law enforcement careers as 1988 as a Corrections Department deputy before serving as a "Motor Deputy" for more than 20 years. Deputy Sheriff Waller served with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department before joining the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in 2008, according to the governor's office and PBSO officials.

"These brave officers who made the ultimate sacrifice will always be remembered for their courage and service," said DeSantis in a statement on Friday.

During a video news conference on Thursday, Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the deputies were using radar to monitor the speed of cars traveling eastbound on Southern Boulevard at around 9 a.m. when one of the deputies could not restart his motorcycle. Thinking his battery was dead, the deputy asked the other deputies for help to move the motorcycle from the road.

“All three of them were on the grassy area of the shoulder of the road, and they were going to wait for another PBSO vehicle to come with some battery cables,” said Bradshaw.

It was then, said Bradshaw, that a woman driving alone in an SUV and heading eastbound in the center lane approached a "much slower" vehicle and turned her car to the right and struck the three deputies on the shoulder of the roadway. The speed limit on the roadway was 55 miles per hour.

"She overcompensated, got off the road and then struck all three of the motor officers — at which time all three went airborne in different directions," said Bradshaw, who described the crash as "horrific."

"When a deputy dies, a piece of the community dies with them," said Bradshaw.

PBSO said preliminary findings did not indicate the driver was impaired. The Florida Highway Patrol will lead the investigation into the crash.

In an interview Friday with WPTV in West Palm Beach, FHP Lt. Indiana Miranda said the crash remains under investigation. Investigators are awaiting blood tests results on the SUV driver.

“We have to look at all the evidence. Receive all that back,” said Miranda. "That, unfortunately, doesn't happen overnight."

On Thursday afternoon, a procession of law enforcement officers escorted two ambulances with the officers' bodies from St. Mary's Medical Center to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office.

"Our brave men and women in uniform willingly put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, but devastating news like this never ceases to catch us off guard," Sen. Rick Scott said in a post on X. He said he spoke with Bradshaw.

Bradshaw said he will meet with the families upon returning to South Florida. Funeral arrangements for the deputies will likely be held next week.

The sheriff's office has not released the names of the deputies.