Pembroke Pines Police Department mourns officer killed in motorcycle accident

Officer Charles Herring died after falling palm frond ejects him from motorcycle, sources say

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. ā€“ A police motorman has died after being involved in a crash Thursday in Pembroke Pines.

His death was confirmed on social media by the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police.

ā€œOur deepest condolences to our fallen Pembroke Pines Police Department brother,ā€ the FOP Florida State Lodge posted on Facebook. ā€œOur thoughts and prayers are with his family and our LEO Family today!ā€

Local 10 News learned through police sources that the officer was Pembroke Pines PD Motorcycle Officer Charles Herring.

Pembroke Pines PD Motorman Charles Herring (Lighthouse Point PBA)

According to multiple sources, Herring was riding his motorcycle south on Northwest 184th Avenue when he was struck by a palm frond that had dislodged from a tree, causing the officer to lose control of the motorcycle and be subsequently ejected.

Police confirmed that all lanes of Northwest 184th Avenue, between Johnson Street and Northwest 23rd Street, were shut down after the crash.

Drivers were asked to avoid the area.

Pembroke Pines PD Motorman Charles Herring (Pembroke Pines PD)

Sky 10 was above the scene shortly after 12:30 p.m. as the officerā€™s motorcycle was on its side in the roadway with debris scattered around the roadway.

A couple of cars could be seen parked along the side of the roadway as multiple drivers pulled over to help.

The motorman was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood suffering from traumatic injuries. He later died at the hospital.

Dozens of offers lined up to take part in a procession to bring the fallen motormanā€™s body from the hospital to the medical examinerā€™s office.

(WPLG)

Herring was the first Pembroke Pines police officer to die in the line of duty in the departmentā€™s history, according to Police Chief Kipp Shimpeno.

He had been with the department since 2002.

ā€œA beloved father, he was a personal friend of mine,ā€ Shimpeno said. ā€œCharlieā€™s touched pretty much every person in this agency and so many people in the community. Itā€™s definitely going to take some time and a lot of togetherness to get through this.ā€

Shimpeno held a press conference Wednesday night, which can be seen below:


About the Authors
Alex Finnie headshot

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

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Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

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