The annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade was reportedly disrupted midway when a police officer crashed into the crowd, injuring several attendees of the parade.
According to the Palm Springs Police Department,
"The accident took place just after 6 p.m. Saturday night at the Palm Canyon Drive and Amado Road."
Several parade attendees captured the video of a police officer riding a motorcycle at a high speed crashing into the crowd. The Palm Springs Police Department identified the officer as Kenney Merenda, who reportedly fractured his hand in the accident. Other attendees involved in the accident were injured and are currently being treated at local hospitals.
Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills, in a Facebook post stated,
"By now most of our community knows at the parade tonight one of our traffic motors had an accident on his motorcycle, and unfortunately several citizens and our officer were injured. I feel terrible about the accident and injuries to the very people we protect. I am deeply concerned and hope for a thorough recovery."
What happened at the Palm Springs parade? Investigation going on as police officer crashed into the crowd
This year, the parade began at 5:45 p.m. local time on Saturday when the police officer reportedly lost control and crashed into the sea of people attending the celebration. Lt. Gustavo Araiza, of the Palm Springs Police Department said in a statement,
"Officers on scene got different statements from different people, so they'll be following up to determine what caused him [Kenney Merenda] to lose control."
Ginny Foat, a witness to the accident, took to Facebook to share her experience as she wrote,
"We were in the viewing stands as this accident happened a few feet away as the first entry in the parade was approaching. I watched the Chief and his staff spring into action and almost immediately medical assistance was on the scene. I don't know what the circumstances were that led to this horrible incident but I feel 100% confident knowing that you will help to assure that whatever it was, it will be addressed."
In an updated Facebook post, Andy Mills shared,
"Mayor Jeffery Bernstein, City Manager Scott Stiles, Cathy and I went to see Officer Kenney Merenda in the hospital. He was alert and conversant. The Doctors at Desert Regional are amazing and I am happy to report he will likely recover mobility in his hand. Kenny expressed deep concern for all of those injured and wishes them a full and speedy recovery. Of the 11 others transported for care, two were kept by the hospital for further treatment."
The California Highway Patrol is currently conducting the investigation and requests all the witnesses to send pictures or videos taken during the accident to [email protected].
Chief of Police Mills offered his apology in his Facebook statement on Saturday as he wrote,
"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."
Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein also shared his concern regarding the accident in a Facebook post.
"As Mayor, I take this very seriously. I also know that Palm Springs is unique. We have the community that can and will join in unison to overcome the most difficult of circumstances."
Started in the early 1990s, the Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade is an annual parade held on the first Saturday of December in downtown Palm Springs.
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Former Mayor Will Kleindienst, along with a group of community-minded people, started this parade to welcome the spirit and joy of the holiday season.
This unique tourism event attracts approximately 100,000 people each year, making the event one of the top ten holiday parades in the country.
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