Miami Beach motorcycle cop loses battle with COVID. Three other agencies also lose officers

Eddie Perez, a 25-year Miami Beach police veteran, motorcycle cop and fisherman of questionable talent, lost a two-month battle with COVID-19 on Thursday.

Perez, 55, was the fourth South Florida law enforcement officer to succumb to the disease in the past week. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. His birthday was Monday.

“Today we lost a truly beloved and hard-working member of the Miami Beach family,” Chief Richard Clements said in a statement. “Please pray for Eddie and his family.”

Friend and fellow Miami Beach police officer Bobby Hernandez posted a picture of Perez on his Facebook page and recalled a fishing expedition to Bimini he took with Perez, that had an unexpected twist. Perez apparently put his rod down briefly to grab a beer when a fish – or some other large sea creature – snagged the hook and the rod disappeared into the deep blue.

“RIP Guajiro. See you on the other side,” Hernandez wrote.

Friends of Perez said he preferred hunting and played on the department’s softball team for several years.

Other law enforcement officers who who lost their lives the past week as the Delta variant continues to ravage Florida and other states, were four-year Fort Lauderdale police officer Jennifer Sepot, 20-year West Palm Beach police veteran Robert Williams and Lazaro R. Febles, an 11-year Florida Highway Patrol veteran who was based in Miami.

Funeral arrangements for Perez are pending.