Inset: Derrick Thompson (Hennepin County Jail). Background: Scene of June 2023 crash that killed five young women in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (KARE/YouTube)
Authorities in Minnesota say a 28-year-old man who just rented a Cadillac Escalade immediately began speeding up to 95 mph as he weaved in and out of traffic. After exiting the highway, Derrick John Thompson whizzed past a red light and slammed into a Honda Civic, crushing the car and instantly killing five young women, according to cops.
This week, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed five counts of third-degree murder against Thompson for the June 2023 crash in Minneapolis. Thompson was already charged with 10 counts of vehicular homicide. A probable cause arrest affidavit said a Minnesota State Police trooper just after 10 p.m. on June 16, 2023, saw the Escalade flying down I-35W at 95 mph in a 55 mph zone and cutting across four lanes of traffic.
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Thompson allegedly took an exit ramp, ran a red light and T-boned the Civic traveling through the intersection. Cops say the Civic ended up pinned against the wall of the I-35W bridge. A trooper, who never had a chance to activate his cruiser lights, observed the crash from about 800 feet away.
“The trooper immediately went to the black Honda Civic. The trooper observed that the black Honda Civic had extensive damage and all five victims in the Honda Civic had no signs of life and were deceased,” the affidavit said.
Thompson allegedly limped away from the accident scene and sat down in a nearby Taco Bell parking lot. Cops tracked him and found him suffering from a gash on his forehead. He reportedly claimed the head wound was “an old cut” and said he “fell” earlier in the night. Witnesses identified him as the driver. Troopers later learned he had rented the SUV less than a half hour before crashing it, the affidavit said.
The victims were identified as Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, Sahra Liban Gesaade, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, Siham Adan Odhowa, and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali. They were between 17 and 20 years old.
Cops say Thompson had THC in his system. He also allegedly had a Glock with an extended magazine, 2,000 pills of suspected fentanyl, 13 pills of suspected MDMA and 35.6 grams of cocaine in the Escalade.
Per the affidavit, Thompson admitted to being the driver of the SUV during the crash in a phone call he made while in custody, claiming he was trying to avoid another vehicle “on his bumper” at the time of the crash. Video showed there was no car behind him.
“The senseless deaths of these five young women at the hands of Mr. Thompson has devastated their families and communities,” Moriarty said in a statement. “The sad fact is that he has done this before.”
Thompson was reportedly released from prison in California about six months before the crash. In that incident, Thompson was fleeing from cops in a rented vehicle when he crashed into a pedestrian, pinning her against a concrete retaining wall. The pedestrian was “severely injured and hospitalized.” A search of the rental turned up 18 pounds of marijuana and about $20,000 in cash.
“His lengthy record of dangerous driving, the trail of devastation he’s left in his wake, and his conduct in this case make these more serious charges appropriate. We will continue to seek a lengthy period of incarceration to keep the community safe,” Moriarty said.
Thompson is the son of controversial former Minnesota State Rep. John Thompson, who served in the Legislature from 2021 to 2023. The Democrat was expelled from his caucus in September 2021 after reports surfaced that he was violent toward women, the Pioneer Press reported. He was defeated by a fellow Democrat in the 2022 Primary Election.
Derrick Thompson remains behind bars on $1 million bond.
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