Minneapolis police officer identified in deadly crash during pursuit of carjacking suspect

The Minneapolis Police Department has identified the officer who was behind the wheel of the squad car that crashed into another vehicle early Tuesday morning, killing a man.

According to documents posted to the Minneapolis Police Department’s website, Officer Brian Cummings was pursuing a carjacking and robbery suspect in north Minneapolis when he crashed into a Jeep Liberty driven by 40-year-old Leneal Lamont Frazier, who died in the crash.

Police said the chase started when an officer found a carjacked vehicle near Sixth Street North and Lowry Avenue. The vehicle had reportedly been involved in multiple robberies of businesses.

The officer tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver fled, and the officer pursued.

The chase continued northward, and at the intersection of Lyndale Avenue North and 41st Avenue, the squad car crashed into the Jeep, which was headed westbound. A vehicle headed southbound was also hit in the crash.

In addition to Frazier’s death, police said Cummings suffered serious injuries. A K-9 inside the squad car was not hurt.

Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded the video shared around the world of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck last May, said in a Facebook post that Leneal Frazier is her uncle.

"I was hoping it was a dream…but it’s not and this is reality," she wrote. "Minneapolis police has cost my whole family a big loss…today has been a day full of heartbreak and sadness."

Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder told KSTP it is the department’s policy to have sirens and lights on when entering an intersection, and that preliminary investigation indicates this was the case during Tuesday’s crash.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash.