Judge Denies Dismissal Motion, Sets Trial Date For Former MPD Officer Brian Cummings
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A judge has set a trial date for the former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection to the high-speed collision that killed Leneal Frazier last year.
Brian Cummings' trial will begin Sept. 19, according to court documents filed on Monday. The judge also denied a motion by Cummings' attorneys to dismiss the charges against him.
Cummings faces second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide charges in the deadly crash. He pleaded not guilty in December.
The complaint says Cummings was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle in north Minneapolis on July 6, 2021 when his marked squad car slammed into the driver's side of Frazier's Jeep at nearly 80 mph. Before the crash, Cummings was following the stolen vehicle at high speeds "at or approaching 100 mph" through numerous stop signs, red lights, and partially obstructed intersections.
In her ruling, Judge Tamara Garcia said "because the complaint establishes a reasonable probability that Mr. Cummings committed the alleged crimes, the motion is denied."
Cummings' attorneys also argued for dismissal on the grounds of "selective prosecution," because he "is the first police officer to be prosecuted for a vehicular pursuit ending in the death of a civilian," court documents state.
Garcia ruled that Cummings "has presented no evidence on the discrimination element."
Cummings is no longer employed by the Minneapolis Police Department.
Frazier, 40, was a father of five and the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the viral video of George Floyd's death.