Former Minneapolis Police Officer Brian Cummings was sentenced to jail and probation after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide for the high-speed police pursuit crash that killed 40-year-old Leneal Frazier.
The crash happened just after midnight on July 6, 2021, in North Minneapolis. Cummings was driving a marked Minneapolis Police Department squad car while pursuing a Kia Sportage that authorities said matched the description of a stolen vehicle suspected of being involved in several non-violent business thefts.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Cummings continued the pursuit for more than 20 blocks through North Minneapolis, including residential neighborhoods. Prosecutors said he followed the Kia through stop signs, red lights, and partially obstructed intersections at speeds approaching 100 mph.
As the pursuit reached the intersection of 41st Avenue North and Lyndale Avenue North, Frazier entered the intersection in his Jeep with a green light. The Kia ran the red light and barely missed him. Cummings also entered the intersection against the red light and struck the driver’s side of Frazier’s Jeep.
Crash reconstruction showed Cummings hit Frazier’s vehicle at roughly 78 mph. Prosecutors said Frazier’s Jeep was traveling about 25 mph. The posted speed limit in the area was 25 mph.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said the collision was attributed to Cummings’ failure to operate his squad car with due regard for the safety of other motorists. Frazier died from the injuries caused by the crash.
Cummings was charged in October 2021 with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide. At the time, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Cummings’ actions “deviated from his oath” and that his negligence caused Frazier’s death.
On April 27, 2023, Cummings pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular homicide. The second-degree manslaughter charge was dismissed as part of the plea. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Cummings admitted his speeds were dangerous and that he ran a red light before crashing into Frazier.
On July 12, 2023, Cummings was sentenced to 270 days in the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility. CBS Minnesota reported that he also received three years of probation and was ordered to comply with conditions including remaining law-abiding, providing a DNA sample, obtaining permission before leaving the state, and not possessing firearms or ammunition.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Cummings admitted he killed Frazier by driving with gross negligence, entering an intersection on a red light at an extraordinarily high speed, and having no justifiable reason for doing so.
Frazier’s family later filed a federal lawsuit against Minneapolis. Associated Press reported that the lawsuit alleged dangerous police pursuits were more likely to be initiated and continued in neighborhoods with disproportionately high numbers of Black residents. AP also reported that Frazier was the uncle of Darnella Frazier, who recorded the video of George Floyd’s murder by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
In November 2025, KSTP reported that the Minneapolis City Council approved a $475,000 settlement with Frazier’s family.
The criminal case ended with a rare guilty plea by a police officer to a homicide offense connected to an on-duty pursuit. But for Frazier’s family, the facts remain brutally simple: Leneal Frazier was not being chased, had the green light, and was killed when a Minneapolis police officer chose to continue a high-speed pursuit through city streets.
