Police officer crashes into crowd at Palm Springs holiday parade

At least one child and two seniors are among the 10 people who were injured at the Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade after a traffic officer lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a crowd of spectators on Saturday.

The City of Palm Springs confirmed on Facebook a traffic officer was involved in an "accident" on the parade route around 6 p.m. Everyone who was injured was being treated at local hospitals. Their injuries were not life threatening, the city added.

Palm Springs Police Department spokesperson Gustavo Araiza said one of the injured was a child who had "minor to moderate injuries" and was doing OK. He also confirmed that two seniors were injured, but did not know the ages of the other seven people. A Desert Sun photographer on the scene saw six people taken away on stretchers, but all appeared to be alert.

The route for the parade, an annual holiday tradition attended by thousands of residents and visitors, is at the heart of downtown. The crash occurred near 288 North Palm Canyon Drive. The parade was temporarily paused due to the crash but eventually resumed.

"We appreciate the community’s support and our thoughts are with the officer, his family and all of those injured today," the city said.

Parade crash update:Police chief says 3, including officer, kept at hospital for further treatment

According to an eyewitness account from a nurse who was attending the parade with her family, an officer lost control of his motorcycle while attempting a trick, and severed his hand in the process. Videos from the scene show an officer performing a "wheelie." The motorcycle then continued moving into the crowd without him, crashing directly into an elderly couple and injuring several other nearby eventgoers.

Palm Springs Public Information Officer Kitty Alvarado characterized the reports of the wheelie as "a rumor" and said that California Highway Patrol will conduct an investigation.

"We did see him pop a wheelie and all of a sudden he went sideways and skid all the way over there," eventgoer Veronica Ortiz of Pittsburg, California told The Desert Sun at the scene, "and lost control and let go of the bike and it went straight into the crowd."

Araiza said the officers were on motorcycles to control traffic, such as ensuring the parade route could travel and people were not on the street. This is the department's standard protocol for the event. The department's only submission to the parade was a single vehicle that led the procession, Araiza added.

Another eventgoer standing near the crash noted that the officer was going surprisingly fast before the crash occurred.

"I was telling my partner here that they were going dumbly fast," witness Byron Ruvalcaba of Riverside said. "There are kids running around … to my eyes, they were going recklessly (fast). My guess is 25 to 35 miles per hour."

Ruvalcaba was one of the first people to run over to the officer after the crash, and confirmed his hand was severed, potentially the most serious of the injuries sustained from the incident. He also saw eventgoers yelling at the officer.

Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills called the crash an "unfortunate accident" in a statement on his individual Facebook account late Saturday night.

"I feel terrible about the accident and injuries to the very people we protect. I am deeply concerned and hope for a thorough recovery," he said in the statement. "... As Chief of Police, I am responsible for this department and the men and women who serve. After we conduct our investigations I will report back to the community. Again, I am truly sorry."

Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein told The Desert Sun on Sunday that "right now, we're just sending thoughts and making sure that everybody who was hurt is okay."

Bernstein also said he hoped that people could be respectful as CHP goes through the investigative process, which he said sometimes takes a period of time. Bernstein said he did not have any further updates on the conditions of those who were injured beyond what had been released by the city Saturday night.

The California Highway Patrol is requesting both video and images be sent to [email protected], the city said.

Desert Sun news editor Eric Hartley contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.