South Florida

Two people killed in crash with a police officer in Palm Beach County on Father’s Day

Two people died and a Riviera Beach police officer was hospitalized following a crash in the South Florida coastal town on June 18, 2023.
Two people died and a Riviera Beach police officer was hospitalized following a crash in the South Florida coastal town on June 18, 2023. Palm Beach Post

Two people were killed and a police officer was seriously injured in a crash early Sunday morning in Palm Beach County, according to authorities.

At around 1 a.m., Riviera Beach police officer Carl Johnson was going south on Australian Avenue when the Dodge Charger he was driving crashed with a northbound Hyundai making a left turn at West 13th Street, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. During the crash, detectives added the front of Johnson’s Charger impacted the passenger side of the Hyundai before both vehicles ended up in the shoulder.

The Hyundai’s driver and passenger — whose identities have not been released by the sheriff’s office — died at the crash site, and Johnson was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

In a brief statement posted on Facebook, Riviera Beach police said that one of their officers was in a crash but made no mention of the fatalities. It’s not clear whether Johnson was on duty nor which driver had the right of way.

Riviera Beach police didn’t immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s request for comment.

Miami Herald staff writer David J. Neal contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 18, 2023 at 6:59 PM.

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
Miami Herald
Omar is a bilingual and bicultural journalist, covering breaking news in South Florida for the Miami Herald. He has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in education from the Universidad de Puerto Rico en Río Piedras.
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