ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Over the weekend, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina had reportedly stopped at a homeless encampment off Central when a fight broke out nearby and someone fired a shot.

Medina ran a red light to get away from the gunfire, crashing into another driver.

The manager of a nearby business, Kap’s Coffee Shop & Diner, says many camps are set up in the area.

“I know they were trying to clear up Central, but they’re pushing them into the side streets and I think that’s why we’re having a lot right here right now,” said Neta Dominguez, manager of Kap’s Diner. “They’ve just really taken a stronghold in this area.”

On Saturday morning, Medina tried to take over that task.

“He noticed a homeless encampment over on Alvarado, just north of Central,” APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said at a news conference.

Medina believed the camp was blocking the sidewalk. As Medina called it in, a fight broke out on the corner and someone pulled out a gun, according to APD.

“One person kicked the other individual and that individual started firing shots in the direction of where the chief was in his truck,” Gallegos said.

Medina – with his wife in his city vehicle – ran a red light to escape the gunfire. They crashed into another driver on Central.

“We just heard squealing of the tires, then it took us a minute to piece together what had happened and we saw the truck up against the light pole over there,” Dominguez said.

The driver went to the hospital with serious injuries. The chief, his wife, and the target of the shooting were all OK.

Dominguez hopes to see something positive come out of this.

“I would appreciate them clearing the streets and keeping the streets clear because after we have the fires and everything here, the sidewalks and everything are littered with trash,” Dominguez said. “The timing was good because I feel like there is a spotlight on this right now and I’d like to keep it there because we need help.”

APD officials said a shooting witness was not detained and wasn’t obligated to stay at the scene.

KOB 4 also looked into whether Medina violated any department policies.