Palm Beach County SO
Palm Beach County SO
The Palm Beach County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) has released the names of the two deputies who were killed and another who was critically injured when a vehicle struck them Thursday morning.
In what Sheriff Ric Bradshaw called a “horrific accident,” three motorcycle deputies were working a traffic patrol when one of their motorcycles failed to start. The deputies apparently came to the conclusion that the bike was having a battery issue so they moved it to a grassy area on the side of the road and waited for another deputy to arrive on scene with jumper cables. They were struck by an SUV that left the road when the drive apparently overcompensated and lost control of the vehicle.
The fallen deputies have been identified as Corporal Luis Paez and Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller.
Palm Beach County SO
Corporal Luis Paez served more than 36 years in law enforcement, beginning his career with PBSO in 1988 as a corrections deputy. Moving to patrol, Paez served as a motor deputy for more than 20 years.
Palm Beach County SO
Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller served for more than 18 years in the PBSO motor unit. He began his law enforcement career with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department, which merged with PBSO in 2008.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz was critically injured in the accident. He is in the ICU fighting for his life, the sheriff says.Palm Beach County SO
The critically injured deputy has been identified as Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz. PBSO says Deputy Ignacio Diaz is fighting for his life. Diaz has served with PBSO since 2004 and with the motor unit for more than 10 years.
