On February 17 APD Chief Harold Medina and his wife were in a city unmarked APD truck on their way to participate in a press conference with Mayor Tim Keller when Medina decided to stop and call for APD to clear a homeless encampment. He made the stop having not logged into APD radio dispatch, without engaging his emergency warning equipment and without activating his label camera as required by standard operating procedures. According to Medina, he witnessed two people getting into a fight and a gun was pulled and pointed towards Medina and his wife and a shot was fired. In response to the gun fire, Medina admitted to taking off from the scene driving through a red light saying there was no oncoming traffic which was proven false by a surveillance video.
Driving through oncoming traffic, Medina drove South through 3 lanes of traffic on Central and T-boned a gold colored 1966 Ford Mustang. Todd Perchert, 55, has been identified as the driver of the 1966 Ford Mustang. Perchert called for medical assistance himself and was then taken to the hospital in critical condition. Perchert sustained a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, eight broken ribs, and a collapsed lung and underwent 7 hours of surgery for his injuries. Neither Medina nor his wife sustained any serious injury. The gold mustang was totaled. Medina admitted he did not have his lapel camera on and referred the accident to the Superintendent of Police Reform for investigation. Chief Medina has yet to be charged with any traffic violations.
APD RELEASES HOURS OF LAPEL CAMERA VIDEO
On Friday, March 29, the Albuquerque Police Department released hours of lapel camera footage from the February 17 morning Chief Harold Medina ran a red light and crashed into Todd Perchert. The videos reflect degree of sure chaos after the crash as medical first responders and APD responded to the auto crash. Video shows one officer checking on the driver, Todd Perchert, a group collecting video showing the alleged shooter, and even Chief Medina directing officers to witnesses.
Video shows two people helping Perchert seconds before first responders arrived on scene. Other video shows witnesses at the scene describing the alleged shooter who is seen running across Central right after the shooting.
One video shows Medina pointing out where a shell casing is on the ground. Videos later show a crime scene investigator picking up that casing, all while another group of officers go door to door at nearby businesses looking for area business surveillance video.
APD also released surveillance video showing the suspect running away from the scene and pictures of the truck they believe he was driving. A video shows that suspect talking with the person he allegedly shot at, and putting a gun in his pants before walking toward the shooting location. People have called with tips about that man, but APD officials say they’re still looking for the suspect.
APD officials have said they put the new images of the suspect and his truck out to officers but he has yet to be identified and located. APD has asked if anyone recognizes him to please contact Crime Stoppers at 505-843-STOP.
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/lapel-camera-shows-aftermath-of-crash-involving-apd-chief/
LAPEL CAMERA VIDEO OF MEDINA TALKING TO SUBORDINATES AS IF HE WERE IN CHARGE OF SCENE
APD lapel camera video shows APD Chief Harold Medina was treated substantially different than private citizens in similar situations by APD officers who respond to crashes and some officers knew it. Police lapel videos shows APD officers who responded to the crash involving Medina went out of their way to report Chief Medina’s version of what he claimed happened. The Chief says he and his wife were in an unmarked car next to where a fight broke out. After seeing a gun, Medina says he sped off to avoid being in the line of fire when he hit and seriously injured a man in his 1966 Mustang.
Narratives revealed in the lapel camera videos include the following explanations provided by the officers on their lapel camera videos:
APD Officer: “Chief was here parked on the north side of Central and Alvarado.”
APD Officer: “Chief is at the line of fire, so he gets out of there.”
After the crash, video shows Medina not segregated from the scene and talking with police officers. One conversation between Medina and an APD Officer is as follows:
APD Officer: “How you doing, sir?”
Chief Medina: “I was more worried about my poor wife. She never comes to press conferences on Saturday, so just come with me, and I’ll take you to breakfast afterward, and she’s all like, ‘some breakfast, buddy.’”
As the conversations progressed, Medina continued recounting what happened, pointing out a single bullet casing near where he witnessed a fight.
Chief Medina: “Yeah, I’m glad we found the shell casing; nobody ran it over.”
APD Officer: “Yeah, at least one.”
Chief Medina: “No, I only heard one shot.”
The lapel videos reflect that APD Chief Medina, both a witness to a crime and a driver involved in a car crash, was allowed to freely roam the crime scene. Medina not only described the situation to officers but, dictated how to handle it and pointed detectives in the direction of where he thought one of the two men in the fight may have gone.
Chief Medina: “They are just going to have detectives interview me.”
Chief Medina: “He went, and he told me ‘I’m not hit,’ and I thought he had gotten shot. There’s no way he missed; it was like from me to you.”
One officer made it clear that this was an unusual situation.
APD Officer: “Hey sir, so.. I know this is weird now, but I had two officers at Central and Penn are you…”
Chief Medina: “No.”
APD Officer: “Can we disregard that?”
Chief Medina: “I think we can disregard that for now.”
An Albuquerque Police spokesperson clarified that the conversation between Chief Medina and the APD officer about “Central and Penn” was in reference to preparation for a news conference that Chief Medina had initially intended to go to.
APD says the “two officers” were placed near the intersection of Central and Pennsylvania, miles away from the crash scene, in preparation for a City of Albuquerque news conference that was canceled due to the Chief’s involvement in the crash.
APD says the crash is still under internal investigation.
https://www.koat.com/article/video-albuquerque-police-harold-medina-crash/60345543
APD STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE DEALING WITH “CRASHES INVOLVING DEPARTMENT ISSUED VEHICLES”
It is Section 2-47-4 of APD’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that outlines in great detail the general procedures that must be followed by APD police officers who are involved in vehicle crashes. The SOP is entitled “Crashes that Involving department-isssued vehicles and department personnel”. An in depth review of 2-47-6 is in order to understand fully the extent to which the SOP was not followed by APD.
The applicable and edited provisions of the SOP states:
2-47-1 Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to outline the standards for the investigation and documentation of all crashes involving Albuquerque Police Department (Department) issued vehicles.
2-47-2 Policy
It is the policy of the Department to create and enforce standards for Department personnel who are involved in or are investigating motor vehicle crashes involving Department-issued vehicles.
2-47-3 A. Crash [Defined]
The negligent touching or scraping of a vehicle against another vehicle, bicycle, person, or other object resulting in injury or damage.
2-47-4 Procedures
A. General Procedures for Crashes that Involve Department-Issued Vehicles
- Department personnel who are Involved in the crash shall:
a. Request Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) for any injuries;
b Secure the scene to prevent further damage;
c. Preserve evidence;
d. Request that an on-duty supervisor respond to the scene of the crash;
e. Request for an available officer or Police Service Aide (PSA) to be dispatched to investigate the crash and to complete a Uniform Crash Report (UCR) to include the vehicle or unit number on the UCR diagram or narrative;
f. The responding officer or PSA who completes the UCR shall gather sufficient information concerning the cause of the crash to testify at the Crash Review Board (CRB) Hearing, if necessary; and
g. Request for a supervisor, a Crime Scene Specialist (CSS), or a Police Service Aide (PSA) to photograph the crash.
i. Photographs shall include close-ups, mid-ranges, and the overall scene.
ii. Photographs shall be tagged into evidence as outlined in SOP Collection, Submission, and Disposition of Evidence and Property …
iii. Supervisors with Axon training may take the photographs for non-injury crash investigations.
2. The investigating supervisor shall:
a. Determine whether the crash involves serious personal injury, death, or substantial damage to any involved Department personnel or the Department-issued vehicle before clearing the scene of the crash;
b. Notify the following personnel to respond to the scene of the crash if it involves life-threatening injuries or death:
i. Internal Affairs Professional Standards (IAPS) Division investigative personnel;
ii. An on-duty CSS; and
iii. The on-call Metro Traffic Division Fatal Traffic Team supervisor.
c. Based on the damage to the Department-issued vehicle and the extent of injuries, determine whether the on-call Metro Traffic Division Fatal Traffic Team will investigate the crash;
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sections d, e, f, g, h dealing with documentation and examination of vehicles have been determined not to be germane to the herein discussion and deleted for the sake of brevity.
3. The on-scene supervisor or investigating officer may allow the involved vehicles to be moved if they impede the safe flow of traffic.
a. The on-scene supervisor or investigating officer may only allow the vehicles to be moved from the scene for non-injury crashes or when moving the vehicles does not significantly impact the investigation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sections 4, 5 and 6 dealing with operations review and documents generated have been determined not to be germane to the herein discussion and deleted for the sake of brevity.
- Metro Traffic Division personnel shall:
a. While on duty, respond to all Department-issued vehicle crashes and crashes resulting from a high-speed pursuit to which they are dispatched;
b. While on duty, respond to all crashes with injuries that involve Department-issued vehicles, if available, as outlined in SOP Response to Traffic Crashes … .
c. While on-call, respond to a crash when directed by the Metro Traffic Division on-call supervisor.
B. Procedures for a Damaged Tire and/or Rim
EDITOR’S NOTE: This section has been determined not to be germane to the herein discussion and deleted for the sake of brevity.
C. Procedures for Crashes that Occurred Outside the Department’s Jurisdiction
EDITOR’S NOTE: This section has been determined not to be germane and deleted for the sake of brevity.
D. Procedures for Crashes Involving Possible Vehicle Malfunctions
EDITOR’S NOTE: This section has been determined not to be germane to the herein discussion and deleted for the sake of brevity.
E. Procedures for Crashes that Involve Cases of Suspected Driving While Under the Influence (DWI)
- Involved Department personnel shall submit to a post-crash drug/alcohol test when they are involved in a traffic crash, and one (1) or more of the following exists:
a. A fatality occurs;
b. There are injuries that cause any person to receive emergency medical treatment away from the scene of the crash;
c. One (1) or more vehicles incur disabling damage as a result of the crash and are transported from the scene by a tow truck or another vehicle; or
d. The on-scene supervisor has reasonable suspicion to believe the involved Department employee was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the crash.
EDITORS NOTE: Chief Medina claims he submitted to a post-crash drug/alcohol test but it has not been reported when and where after the crash.
2. Involved Department personnel must be readily available for testing and notify the on-scene supervisor of their location if they leave the scene before submitting to the test.
a. If a supervisor is not notified when the involved Department employee leaves the scene, they may be found to have refused to submit to the test.
b. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or delay involved Department personnel from receiving emergency care.
3. Involved Department personnel shall be placed on administrative leave with pay only if they are selected for a reasonable suspicion test until the test results are available. Results shall be available within twenty-four (24) hours.
a. Refusal to submit to a drug and/or alcohol test shall be considered a positive test result and a direct act of insubordination and shall result in termination.
b. If the involved Department employee submits a sample for a post-accident drug and/or alcohol test that is determined to be a verified positive test result, they shall be terminated.
c. administrative test results are confidential and cannot be used against the involved Department employee if criminal charges are filed.
- The on-scene supervisor shall:
a. Complete the City of Albuquerque Substance Abuse Program Post-Accident Decision Making Form;
b. Conduct post-accident drug/alcohol testing in accordance with the City’s Substance Abuse Policy … of the City of Albuquerque Personnel Rules and Regulations, in addition to standard DWI testing, if applicable;
c. For post-accident testing requirements:
i. Ensure that the involved Department employee is tested for drugs and/or alcohol, preferably within two (2) hours of the accident. If this cannot be completed, the on-scene supervisor shall document this in the City of Albuquerque Substance Abuse Program APD Post-Accident Decision Making Form and shall have the involved Department employee tested within eight (8) hours of the accident.
- Drug testing may be completed up to thirty-two (32) hours of the accident, after which time, a post-accident drug/alcohol test is no longer feasible.
- Consistent with the City’s Personnel Rules and Regulations, Part I, Section 1100, alcohol testing shall be performed as soon as practicable and within eight (8) hours of the accident, after which time a post-accident drug/alcohol test is no longer feasible.
d. Notify the on-call IAPS Division investigator if an accident results in serious injuries requiring medical attention and/or a fatality.
f. Repairs of Department-Issued Police Vehicles that have been involved in a crash.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This section has been determined not to be germane and deleted for the sake of brevity.
The link to review the entire unedited Section is here:
https://public.powerdms.com/COA/tree/documents/42
SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE REFORM OPENS INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION
On Monday, February 19, the Albuquerque Police Department announced the Office of the Superintendent of Police Reform opened and Internal Affairs Investigation to review if Medina violated any APD standard operating procedures. An investigation by APD’s specialized Motors Unit was also announced for a more in-depth investigation of the car crash. The APD Motors Unit is called out to the most severe crashes while minor crashes are investigated by field officers. APD Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said this:
“As a result of this whole incident, we do have our motors unit out conducting an investigation. We do have our impact detectives who’ve come out to interview the chief, otherwise, he would be here to give information on this, but he wanted to do the interview with the detectives first.”
MEDINA ORDERS MANDATORY ATTENDANCE MEETINGS OF ALL APD SWORN TO DENOUNCE CITY COUNCIL’S EFFORTS TO REMOVE HIM
On Wednesday, April 3, the Albuquerque City Council will be voting on a City Council Resolution to remove and terminate APD Chief Harold Medina for cause. The resolution is sponsored by Westside City Councilor Louie Sanchez, a former and retired APD Officer.
Confidential sources within APD have confirmed that APD Chief Medina ordered all APD sworn and civilian staff to attend personnel meetings without an announced agenda. Confidential APD sources have said at least 4 such meetings have been held where Chief Medina has spoken to officers and department civilian employees with his command staff present for one hour or more. During his remarks, Medina admits he was at fault for the February 17 accident. Medina goes on to discuss all that has been accomplished during his tenure as Chief and in particular what has been accomplished with the Department of Justice reforms. After the conclusion of his remarks, Medina opens it up for questions and there have been none.
During the meetings, Medina has made remarks that are highly critical of the city councils attempts to remove him as Chief. He tells the assembled officers and civilian employees and makes it very clear he has no intent of going anywhere and will remain chief. Sources have also confirmed that Medina refers to himself in the third person and attacks his critics, at times individually by name, and says the person “does not like Chief”. Medina goes so far as to say he intends to remain as Chief until December 2025 when Mayor Tim Keller’s second term ends.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
There is little doubt that Chief Medina’s mandatory attendance meetings by APD personnel to assail any effort to remove him as chief by the city council is politically motivated. It is designed to inflame rank and file police officers and civilian staff as he attempts to hold on to his job as Chief. Chief Medina’s mandatory meetings are an an abuse of power to lobby subordinates to support him and to oppose the city council efforts to remove him for cause and failed leadership.
Based on all the news accounts, review of the APD label camera videos, the statements made by both Chief Medina and victim Todd Perchert, it is painfully obvious that after the February 17 crash all the requirements, spirit and intent of the “General Procedures for Crashes that Involve Department-Issued Vehicles” mandated for department personnel who are involved in a crash were not followed by Chief Medina or simply ignored by APD.
It is questionable that APD announced two days after the car crash that the office of Superintendent of Police Reform opened an Internal Affairs investigation on APD Chief Medina. The Superintendent is a former Deputy Chief under Medina and he has loyalty to Chief Medina. It is not the Superintendent’s responsibility to do such investigations but the Superintendent’s responsibility is primarily to review completed “use of force” and “deadly force cases” investigations pursuant to the Federal Court Approved Settlement agreement.
It is very questionable that that an investigation with APD’s specialized motors unit was ordered for a “more in-depth” investigation. APD Standard Operating Procedure 2-47 deals with “Crashes Involving Department Issued Vehicles”. The SOP mandates an elaborate process and procedures that must be followed for crashes involving department issued vehicles such as Medina’s crash.
The procedures that should have been followed under 2-47 on the very day of incident include the designation or the request that an on-duty supervisor from the Metro Traffic Division respond and take charge to the scene of the crash, call out of Critical Incident Unit to take charge of the scene, requesting the Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) to assist with injuries, the securing of the scene to prevent further damage, the gathering and preservation of evidence by the crime scene investigations unit and the gathering of evidence, taking of photographs and witness statements is also mandated on the day of the incident.
The specialized unit investigation should have been ordered the very day of the Chief’s crash as required before the scene was cleared and the vehicles removed. Ostensibly, that was never done and no statements were taken including that of Chief Medina nor of Todd Perchert until days after the crash. Its likely forensic evidence has now been compromised that would have allowed an accurate forensic accident reconstruction report.
PREFERENCIAL TREATMENT
Simply put, the released APD lapel camera videos reveal that APD Chief Harold Medina was handled with “kid gloves”. Medina was given preferential treatment in the handling of the investigation immediately after the car crash. It is truly amazing that Chief Medina was not immediately segregated for an interview and his statement taken that day. Instead, Medina was allowed to meet with Mayor Keller who then did a press conference on the incident.
MAYOR KELLER’S PRESS CONFERENCE
On February 17 during a news conference soon after the crash, Mayor Tim Keller reacted to the car crash by heaping highly questionable praises on Chief Medina and not even mentioning victim of the car crash Todd Perchert by saying this in part:
“[Chief Medina is] arguably the most important person right now in these times in our city. … [The shooting incident is an example of] why we are never quitting when it comes to trying to make our city safer. … But it’s hard. It is extremely hard. It affects everyone, including our chief of police on a Saturday morning. … This is actually him on a Saturday morning, disrupting an altercation, a shooting, trying to do what’s right, trying to make sure that folks are okay after on scene. This is above and beyond what you expect from a chief, and I’m grateful for Harold Medina. … Whether it’s our city or the individuals that he helped or potentially the lives that he saved because of the shooting that was happening, we all owe him a debt of gratitude today.”
On March 27 Todd Perchert and his wife Danielle said in a press conference of their own they were very upset to see Keller praising Medina directly after the crash in a press conference. Danielle Perchert noted how Medina and Keller could be seen “smiling and hugging at the scene” in one news report and, at some point, two officers could be seen opening the hood of the classic Mustang “checking out the engine like they were at a car show. … I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing.”
MEDINA NOT SEGREGATED AT SCENE AND ROAMS FREE WITHOUT BEING CHARGED
It was not until days later that Medina’s statement was taken by Internal Affairs. Medina was both a witness to a crime and one of the drivers involved in a car crash, and he claims to be a victim of a crime, yet he was allowed to freely roam the crime scene after the accident. Medina appears to have taken charge of the scene and dictated to officers what was to be done, what evidence needed to be collected and how and when he was to be interviewed.
Medina has yet to be cited for any offense. The surveillance video of the crash and his admissions support the charge of “reckless driving.” It is Section 66-8-113 of New Mexico law that defines and prohibits Reckless Driving and states:
Reckless driving is defined under New Mexico law as “Any person who drives any vehicle carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others and without due caution and circumspection and at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property is guilty of reckless driving.”
Chief Medina claims he “did call out, I did submit to a drug test, as any officer would” but he has not disclosed when or where and if the test was done within 2 hours after the accident as required by standard operating procedures. It has also been disclosed that Chief Medina gave a statement, but it was done days later.
STANADARD OPERATING PROCEDURES VIOLATED BY MEDINA
Based on all the news accounts and the comments, statements and the admissions against interest and admissions of liability made by Chief Harold Medina, it is clear Medina violated one or more of APD’s Standard Operating Procedures.
Medina admitted he did not turn his body camera on in a timely manner which is a violation APD Standard Operating procedures and a violation of state law. Chief Medina failed to comply with state statute by not having his body camera activated to record the encounter he had. There are serious consequences for Chief Medina’s failure to abide by the statute. Under the statute, per Section 29-1-18(C), he “may be presumed to have acted in bad faith and may be deemed liable for the independent tort of negligent spoliation of evidence or the independent tort of intentional spoliation of evidence.”
Medina has admitted he did not have his police radio on in his truck which is a standard operating procedure violation. At no point did Medina have any emergency equipment on during or after the event which is another violation.
Medina violated the following specific APD Standard Operating Procedures:
- Chief Medina did not activate his “on body recording device” (OBRD) in a timely manner(Standard Operating Procedure Section 2-8-4, “Use of On Body Recording Devices” and 2-8-5 “Mandatory Recordings”)
- Chief Medina involved his wife in a patrol and enforcement action when he decided to stop and investigate the homeless encampment and it escalated involving a felony resulting in her being placed in harm’s way. Chief Medina’s wife is not certified for APD ride along. (Standard Operating Procedure 1-6-4 Unauthorized Patrol Ride Along)
- Chief Medina did not take his wife to a safe and convenient location before he attempted to take action and investigate. (Standard Operating Procedure 2-5, 2-5-4)
- Chief Medina did not have his vehicles emergency warning equipment engaged when he made the initiate stop to investigate nor when he took off to flee from the scene. (Standard Operating procedure 2-6, 2-6-4)
- Chief Medina did not drive his vehicle with due regard for the safety of others and drove with reckless disregard for the safety of others by running a red light and driving his vehicle without the vehicle’s emergency equipment on and when he ran the red light. (Standard Operating Procedure 2-6, 2-6-4)
- Chief Medina did not follow Standard Operating Procedures dealing with the investigation of “Crashes Involving Department Issued Vehicles. (Standard Operating Procedure 2-47 deals with “Crashes Involving Department Issued Vehicles”)
- Upon information and belief, Chief Medina has not prepared a Uniform Incident Report as required by Standard Operating Procedure. (Standard Operating Procedure 2-7, 2-7-4)
NO CHIEF IS EXEMPT FROM STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
No sworn law enforcement officer, including APD Chief Harold Medina, is above enforcement of police standard operating procedures. A chief must follow standard operating procedures and be held accountable for any violations just like he holds all those officers of lesser rank he manages and even disciplines. A chief must be held to higher standards and not be given preferential treatment.
The APD policy for responding to calls says when officers are responding to a call they must “exercise due regard for the safety of all persons and property.” It adds that they have right of way while responding to a call, but it does not relieve them from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all others.
Thanks to Mayor Keller, it’s more likely than not that Chief Medina will not face any discipline, given he is a command level and Mayor Keller has called Medina “arguably the most important person right now in these times in our city.” If this was a patrol officer making these same mistakes and violating Standard Operating Procedures, Chief Medina would most likely give them hours of suspension without pay or even flat out terminate them.
In 2017, a police officer was rushing with lights and sirens to a call of a man armed with a machete when a car pulled out in front of him. The person driving that car died in the crash. The city fired the officer and paid more than $3 million in a civil suit.
Air Force vet Ashley Browder was killed when another Albuquerque police officer ran a red light on the west side crashing into her vehicle. The city paid more than $8 million to her family and the officer went to jail.
https://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-police-chief-ran-red-light-crash/60032664
APD Chief Harold Medina must be held 100% responsible for the car crash critically injuring a private citizen and sending him to the hospital. Chief Medina should be charged with Reckless Driving and be terminated “for cause” for the violations of APD’s Standard Operating procedures. The City Council should move immediately to remove Chief Harold Medina sooner rather than later given Mayor Tim Keller’s blind loyalty to a police chief he is not willing to remove for cause.
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POSTSCRIPT
Following is Chief Medina’s and Todd Perhert’s version of the February 17 car crash and a report on the surveillance video of the February 17 car crash:
CHIEF MEDINA GIVES HIS VERSION OF ACCIDENT AND DECLARES TO BE VICTIM
On Tuesday, February 20, Chief Medina did a “Chief’s Corner” video briefing which was sent to all APD personnel. He announced that it was a “special edition” of his Chief’s corner to discuss the February 17 car crash with APD personnel. In the video, Chief Medina mentions he was out of town all the week before on a work conference and came back to town late Friday night. On Saturday, February 17, he said he wanted to take his wife to a morning press conference with the Mayor and they could have a Valentines day “dinner” afterwards.
Medina said this:
“We got ready, and as we went in, we stopped for a cup of coffee and we were talking on the way to the southeast for the press conference when we were driving down Central. And I noticed that there could possibly be a homeless encampment on Alvarado, north of Central. As most area commanders are well aware, I point this out and ask that they get them cleaned up when they can.”
Medina goes on to says this:
“They were two individuals. I do not know if they were homeless, but they were in some type of argument. I reached down to hit my radio and to hit the horn on my control console. When my wife stated “gun, gun”. I looked up and I could hear that a shot had been fired and I saw an individual that was holding a firearm, pointing at another individual who is directly in line with my wife.”
Medina said his wife saw the men arguing first and told him, “look, those two homeless individuals are about to get into a fight.” Medina said “I do not know if they were homeless, but they were in some type of argument.” Medina said he “stayed there a second [and] evaluated the situation” and said he decided the “best thing” was to get his wife out of harm’s way “and regroup.”
Medina said on the video he thought the oncoming Mustang, would pass through intersection before he got there. Medina said in his video statement “I looked to my left, and the intersection was cleared. … And I thought that the car was going to pass before I got there, and it did not, and unfortunately, I struck a vehicle.”
Medina went on to says this:
“I was the victim of this traffic accident, and it’s a direct impact of what gun violence is doing to our community. And we need to continue to work at it. I did call out I did submit to a drug test, as any officer would.”
Medina essentially admitted he ran a red light and that he did not have the right away. Medina also admitted before he did not have his body camera on at the time of the accident.
APD RELEASES VIDEO OF CHIEF MEDINA’S CRASH REVEALING MAJOR DISCREPENCIES IN MEDINAS VERSION OF EVENTS
On February 21, APD released a surveillance video that shows Chief Harold Medina running a red light and crashing into the Ford Mustang seriously injuring the driver of the Mustang. The surveillance video reveals that the intersection was not clear as Medina proclaimed when Medina ran the red light.
Medina said in his Chief’s Corner video statement “I looked to my left, and the intersection was cleared. … And I thought that the car was going to pass before I got there, and it did not, and unfortunately, I struck a vehicle.” Even though Medina said in his Chief’s Corner video that the traffic was clear on the North Lane on Central traveling West, the video shows it was not clear at all and there was oncoming traffic.
The surveillance video shows Medina cutting in front of another car before accelerating at a fast rate of speed through the intersection. The video shows oncoming traffic with Medina first slowly inching between two vehicles traveling West on the North side lanes of Central and Medina then accelerating to cross to the South traveling lanes of Central at a high rate of speed and crashing into the Mustang that was traveling East on the South lanes of Central.
Medina’s truck drives into oncoming westbound traffic, between two vehicles, one of which appears to stop to avoid a crash. Medina’s truck then accelerates quickly across the two west bound lanes of Central and crashes into the classic Mustang headed east. The man who allegedly fired the gun appeared to watch the crash unfold before running down the sidewalk.
The crash resulted in both vehicles doing a half circle turn in a counterclockwise direction. Medina’s truck came to rest against the southeast corner of the intersection with front end and rear end damage including a collapsed rear wheel reflecting an apparent broken axle. The Mustang was struck on the driver’s side with the door ripped opened and it also struck the south curb just east of the intersection and skid and rolled east for a distance before coming to rest, facing west, in the eastbound lane.
Medina could have avoided the entire crash by simply turning right to go West on Central as opposed to flooring his vehicle to go forward going South and attempting to turn left to go East. This would also had the immediate affect of driving the vehicle out of the line of fire with the motel building providing an extent of obstruction.
VICTIM OF CAR CRASH GIVES HIS VERSION OF ACCIDENT
On March 27, Todd Perchert, age 55, along with his wife and his attorney held a press conference to discuss the February 17 car crash and to give his version of what happened. Perchert said on Saturday, February 17, he was cruising down Route 66 in his family heirloom car, a gold 1966 Ford Mustang. His plan was to head from the Route 66 Diner to a Mustang Club meetup at the Atomic Museum, but he never made it. Perchert said this during the news conference:
“It was so fast I don’t think I had time to even brace for it. … As I approached the intersection of Central and Alvarado, I clearly recall seeing the green light before going through the intersection. Then all of a sudden, I saw a black truck come out of nowhere and slammed into me on the driver’s side. … The grille was mostly what I saw as I sat eye-level, and I remember the sound quite well.”
“As the car came to a stop, I saw a woman step toward me and said I should call 9-1-1 which I did. At this point, the pain hit me. I couldn’t sit up and just leaned over the center console. Another woman came over and said I was bleeding while trying to talk with the emergency operator on the phone, I couldn’t breathe making it difficult to talk. … I kept reiterating that I needed someone to call my wife who was out of town for work. At one point I looked down and realized even though everything in the car had flown all over the place, the bible I kept on the center console was what was propping up, it was squarely under my left hand, holding me up. That’s when I knew God was with me.
Perchert was crushed in the crash, and had to be dragged out of the passenger side of his car. On his left side, he sustained a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, eight broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. Perchert said this:
“Titanium plates have been put on all but the two top ribs, which was a seven-hour surgery. … [I have] been in constant pain since the crash. … When I saw the actual video of the accident, I was like, surprised I came out with what I got. … I’ll have the metal in my chest for the rest of my life, so you know the bones could heal up…but any complications that could arise from that, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Danielle Perchert, Todd Perchert’s wife, said she was not in town at the time of the accident but on the East Coast for work as a first responder. She said she found out from police about her husband’s crash over the phone. In an very emotional interview, she had this blunt assessment of Chief Medina’s actions and a few choice words for Mayor Tim Keller:
“In my head, all I kept hearing was, ‘the police chief was running away, he was running away. He was running away. And my husband is injured because he was running away. … My husband’s injuries due to the chief’s reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others were secondary and blown off as if no concern by the APD spokesperson, and the mayor. To make things worse, the mayor praised the chief’s actions. That made me sick. … That behavior is not to be praised.”
The link to a related blog article is here: