A man has been arrested on charges he led Minneapolis police on a chase nearly 18 months ago that ended when a pursuing officer collided with an SUV, killing its driver.
Police arrest man wanted in chase that led to Minneapolis officer's crash, killing Leneal Frazier
James Jones-Drain had 12 outstanding warrants, including one in connection with a homicide.
January 12, 2023 at 9:54PM
James Jones-Drain, 20, was arrested Tuesday on a dozen outstanding warrants on charges that include homicide, robbery, fleeing in a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle theft.
Jones-Drain was charged last September in Hennepin County District Court with fleeing police and auto theft in connection with the July 6, 2021, collision at a north Minneapolis intersection that killed 40-year-old Leneal Frazier of St. Paul. A warrant was issued for his arrest at the time.
Officer Brian Cummings, who was chasing Jones-Drain and collided with Frazier, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide. He left the force in October 2021, the day after the charges were filed. He is scheduled to stand trial in May.
Court documents say Jones-Drain was pulled over after electronic surveillance tipped investigators to where he was staying. He left his residence at 4:10 p.m. Jan. 10 and got into a black Ford Fusion with two other people. Police stopped the car, but Jones-Drain, who was sitting in the backseat, refused to identify himself.
Officers arrested him on outstanding warrants and found a semiautomatic pistol in his jacket pocket. That would violate previous charges which bar Jones-Drain from owning a firearm.
His first court appearance will be Friday on the charge of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition. He will return to court on Jan. 19 on other charges, including those connected with Frazier's death.
Authorities say Jones-Drain led officers on the chase in a Kia Sportage reported stolen days earlier. He reportedly ran several stop signs and red lights, narrowly missing Frazier's SUV at the intersection of N. 41st and Lyndale.
Cummings, who was chasing Jones-Drain at up to 100 mph, skidded 25 yards before striking the driver side of Frazier's vehicle. Frazier was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He was a father of six, and the uncle of Darnella Frazier, whose video of police officer Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd in 2020 sparked protests and reform across the globe.
Family members who mourned Frazier's death said Cummings should be criminally prosecuted. Attorney Benjamin Crump called Frazier an "innocent man minding his business" who was killed by police who were not following the department's chase policy.
Mayor Jacob Frey called the fatal collision a "horrific tragedy" and said the city would review its police pursuit policy in response.
Star Tribune staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
From small businesses to giants like Target, retailers are benefitting from the $10 billion industry for South Korean pop music, including its revival of physical album sales.
