ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It was only six months ago, when Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina caused a crash on Central. 

Now, there’s a new lawsuit and a formal complaint. 

Todd Perchert was driving his 66 Mustang down Central when APD Chief Harold Medina blew through a red light to get away from a shooting, and essentially T-boned him.

Perchert suffered serious injuries that he says he’s still recovering from six months later. While he’s fighting for justice, there’s also an ongoing push for accountability.

“Pretty much, I have pain all the time. It’s the varying degrees,” said Perchert. 

Perchert’s life changed in a matter of seconds one February morning. The lawsuit he just filed against the City of Albuquerque is making that clear.

“I have nothing against our police department, the only, you know, our chief of police and has been the one that caused this,” Perchert said. 

The lawsuit argues Medina was reckless that morning when he blew through a red light. His wife – who was inside his police unit – reportedly saw someone pull out a gun at a nearby homeless encampment.

An Internal Affairs investigation came to the same conclusion.

“Even their own department cited Mr. Medina with two violations, one being the reckless driving and the other being the intentional turning off of his body camera,” said Alejandra Acosta, an attorney.  

Some city leaders argue that the second one wasn’t just reckless, it was against the law.

“This law states that if you’re a police officer, you have to keep your camera running until the incident has concluded you must turn it on during a police action,” said Louie Sanchez, an Albuquerque city councilor.  

Sanchez is requesting a formal investigation by the Department of Public Safety after APD’s Internal Affairs investigation revealed Medina intentionally did not hit record on his camera, invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to self-incriminate.

“This is not a personal issue, this is an issue of checks and balances,” said Sanchez. “If regular rank and file police officer would have this happen to them, they would have probably been severely disciplined or fired.”

The body camera concerns are also part of Perchert’s lawsuit, underscoring their big argument.

“Chief Medina’s reckless behavior on the day of the crash has changed their lives,” said Acosta.  

An Albuquerque police spokesperson says the department will respond to the Perchert’s lawsuit in court.

As for Sanchez’s complaint, the spokesperson says he doesn’t actually have the ability to file a complaint like that. Even though, Sanchez says everyday citizens can submit a specific type of complaint to the Department of Public Safety.