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.
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.
