Minneapolis Squad Car Crash: Mayor Frey Calls For Policy Review

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Thursday said city leaders will be looking into its police pursuit policy after a bystander was killed in a crash with a Minneapolis police car that was chasing a carjacking suspect.

The crash killed Leneal Frazier, who was the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the woman who filmed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

The suspect remains at large.

"The loss of Leneal Frazier as the result of an MPD pursuit is a horrific tragedy. Period," Frey wrote on Facebook.

"Darnella, Leneal’s family, and Minneapolis’ Black community have borne the weight of more trauma over the last year than anyone, let alone any young person, should be expected to endure in a life time."

While the Minneapolis Police Department’s pursuit policy was updated in 2019 "to make it far more restrictive," Frey promised city leaders will be reviewing that policy again.

"The violence our city is experiencing is a public health crisis, and we will continue our work to treat it as such — that means both just and equitable law enforcement and safety solutions beyond policing," Frey added.

Also read: Ben Crump To Represent Frazier Family In Fatal Crash With Cop Car

Just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, an officer spotted a carjacked vehicle at 6th Street North and Lowry Avenue, according to authorities. The car was involved in several robberies, police said.

The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver did not stop, according to authorities.

During the pursuit, the police car going northbound collided with a westbound car at Lyndale Avenue at 41st Avenue North. A car going southbound was also involved in the collision.

The officer and the driver of the westbound car — identified as Frazier's uncle — were taken to North Memorial Hospital by ambulance. The officer suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Leneal Frazier died soon after arriving at the hospital.

A GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds for the family.

Editor's Note: Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.