In two American cities hundreds of miles apart, the families of men killed by speeding police officers are seeking justice—one through a rare civil trial in Houston, the other via a major settlement in Minneapolis. Both cases, which stem from fatal crashes in 2021, have cast a stark spotlight on police pursuit policies and the consequences of officers’ decisions behind the wheel.
In Houston, jurors resumed deliberations Friday in a civil trial that pits the family of Charles Payne against the City of Houston and Houston Police Department Officer Christopher Cabrera. The case is highly unusual: it’s not often that a city and an officer both stand trial in a civil court over a deadly police-involved crash. The jury’s decision could determine whether the city will pay millions of dollars to Payne’s family, who argue that lax city policies on police speeding led directly to Payne’s death.
The facts of the Houston crash are sobering. On December 26, 2021—the day after Christmas—Officer Cabrera was driving his patrol car when he collided with Payne’s vehicle. According to investigative findings reported by KTRK/ABC13, Cabrera was traveling at 70 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone at the time of the crash. The lawsuit, brought by Payne’s family, alleges that this excessive speed, and the city’s failure to set stricter limits or enforce existing ones, created the conditions for tragedy.
As of November 21, 2025, the jury had already spent hours reviewing testimony and evidence, pausing deliberations only to ask the court multiple questions about what they’d heard. The deliberations, which have drawn significant local attention, could result in a substantial payout to the Payne family if the jury finds the city liable. According to ABC13’s coverage, the case is being watched closely by advocates for police reform and by city officials wary of the precedent a large judgment might set.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, a parallel story has reached a different kind of resolution. On November 20, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to approve a $475,000 settlement with the family of Leneal Frazier, another man killed by a speeding police officer in 2021. The vote was 10-0—a clear signal that council members wanted to put the matter to rest, even as questions linger about police accountability and departmental culture.
The details of Frazier’s death are harrowing. Frazier, 40, was driving his SUV through the intersection of North Lyndale and 41st avenues when he was broadsided by a Minneapolis police car driven by Officer Brian Cummings. At the time, Cummings was in pursuit of a carjacking suspect, a chase that covered three miles, included eight run stop signs, and saw the officer’s speed top 100 miles per hour. According to the lawsuit and subsequent reporting by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Cummings was driving 89 miles per hour when he ran a red light and crashed into Frazier’s vehicle.
The aftermath was swift and, in some ways, unprecedented. Cummings, a 14-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in April 2023. He was sentenced to nine months, a term split between time in the workhouse and electronic home monitoring. The lawsuit filed by Frazier’s family argued that the MPD had a long-standing problem with deadly pursuits and that Cummings himself had a history of reckless chases for which he was never disciplined. The suit also contended that Black drivers were disproportionately affected by these dangerous practices.
The city’s response to the lawsuit was complicated. At the time of the crash, a police spokesperson said the pursuit was permitted under department policy because the suspect was wanted for multiple violent felonies. However, the family’s legal team pointed out that the MPD knew officers’ penchant for dangerous high-speed pursuits “had the natural and probable consequence of causing significant injury and/or death of MPD officers.” The settlement, though not an admission of wrongdoing, represents a significant acknowledgment of the risks inherent in such chases.
While the Houston case remains in the hands of the jury, the Minneapolis settlement has already prompted renewed debate over police pursuit policies—not just in those cities, but nationwide. Experts and advocates have long warned that high-speed chases, even in pursuit of serious suspects, can turn deadly in an instant, often with tragic consequences for innocent bystanders. The families of both Payne and Frazier argue that their loved ones paid the ultimate price for departmental failures to rein in officer conduct.
In Houston, the Payne family’s lawsuit zeroes in on what they describe as systemic problems. They say the city’s “lax policies on how fast officers can speed ultimately led to his death,” as reported by KTRK/ABC13. The family’s attorneys have argued that without clear, enforced limitations on police speeds—especially outside of emergency situations—officers are left to make judgment calls that can have devastating results. The city, for its part, has defended its policies, insisting that officers are trained to balance the urgency of their duties with public safety. Still, the fact that Cabrera was driving double the posted speed limit at the time of the crash has raised tough questions about whether training and policy are enough.
The Minneapolis case, while resolved financially, leaves similar questions hanging. The wrongful death lawsuit didn’t just target Officer Cummings’ actions but also the broader culture and oversight within the MPD. The family’s attorneys highlighted what they called a “long history of causing deadly crashes” and a failure to discipline officers who engaged in reckless pursuits. The city’s willingness to settle may reflect a recognition that such practices can no longer be defended in court—or in the court of public opinion.
Both cases have drawn attention from reform advocates, who point to them as evidence of a need for stricter rules on police chases and more robust accountability for officers who break those rules. Some cities have already moved to limit high-speed pursuits to only the most serious offenses, while others continue to weigh the risks and benefits. In both Houston and Minneapolis, the families of Charles Payne and Leneal Frazier are left to mourn—and to hope that their loved ones’ deaths will spark meaningful change.
As the Houston jury continues its deliberations, the outcome could reverberate far beyond city limits. Whatever the verdict, the message from both cities is clear: the consequences of police pursuits don’t end at the scene of the crash. They ripple outward, touching families, communities, and the very institutions tasked with keeping the public safe.
