Police Chief Andy Mills told our Palm Springs affiliate, KESQ, an internal investigation will examine every detail of Saturday's crash. He identified the officer who crashed as Kenney Merenda.
Video shows his motorcycle speeding up seconds before the collision at the Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade. Eleven people were hurt and Merenda fractured his hand.
At least 10 injured after officer on motorcycle crashes into crowd at Palm Springs holiday parade
"He lost his balance on the bike. His foot slipped off the peg and it caused him to have to grip the handlebars, which caused the bike to accelerate at a rapid speed," Chief Mills said.
The police chief also defended the decision not to stop the parade, saying sending tens of thousands of people in different directions would have caused more chaos.
Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol is asking anybody who has video of the incident to share it with them.