Roll of Honor
Incident
Corporal Luis Paez and Deputy Sheriff Butch Waller were struck and killed, and Deputy Sheriff Dan Diaz was critically injured on Southern Boulevard near Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in Loxahatchee at 9:00 a.m.
One of the deputies had completed a traffic stop when his patrol motorcycle would not start. The deputy called other officers for assistance. While the three deputies were waiting for another deputy to help with the disabled motorcycle, a driver traveling east on Southern Boulevard switched lanes to pass a slower vehicle, overcompensated, and struck all three deputies. The responding deputy witnessed the collision.
Corporal Paez and Deputy Waller were life-flighted to St. Mary's Hospital, where they were pronounced deceased. Deputy Diaz died from his injuries four days later.
The driver suffered minor injuries.
Corporal Paez had served with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office for 36 years and served as a motor officer for over 20 years.
Cpl. Paez, On today, the 1st anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of Palm Beach County. And to your Family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
BPA Mike Casey United States Border Patrol(Retired) November 21st, 2025
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-FL-93F49B3A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
36 years. You could have gone home.
Corporal Paez gave the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office 36 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the West Palm Beach community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Paez.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Corporal Luis Paez is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, 9 of 23 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Luis Paez's cause is highlighted.
How Luis Paez Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Luis Paez is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
22 officers from Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
