A man suspected of driving while impaired and causing a crash resulting in the death of five young women has been identified. The suspect in question is Derrick Thompson, a 27-year-old individual and the son of former state Rep. John Thompson. Thompson was taken into custody on Monday afternoon and is currently held at Hennepin County Jail on probable cause murder charges. Meanwhile, the five victims who lost their lives in the tragic crash were laid to rest in Burnsville on Monday.
Court records from California in 2020 reveal that Thompson was sentenced to eight years in prison for a 2018 crash that occurred in the state, leaving a woman in a coma, fighting for her life.
According to prosecutors, the incident took place in September 2018 when Thompson was driving with his friends on the shoulder of the U.S. 101 in California. Police officers from the Ventura Police Department attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Thompson chose to evade them.
As a result, Thompson lost control of his vehicle and collided with a woman. The victim, a tourist staying at a nearby house with several friends, endured life-threatening injuries and remained in a coma for several weeks. Thompson immediately fled the scene, leaving the victim fighting for her life.
After two years, Thompson pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including evading an officer causing injury, leaving the scene of an accident causing permanent injury, and conspiracy to sell marijuana. Furthermore, he admitted to the special allegation of personally inflicting severe bodily injury that resulted in a comatose condition due to brain injury.
District Attorney Joyce Dudley stated in 2020, “This case was a series of dangerous criminal choices that led to a horrendous outcome. Although the victim has made a remarkable recovery, she will still bear the scars of the injuries inflicted by this defendant for the rest of her life.”
You can also read: Terrifying “Car-to-Car” Shooting Unleashes Chaos Near Famous Pier 39
A brief examination of Minnesota court records reveals that Thompson has several other convictions, many of which are related to driving offences. One such conviction occurred in 2017 in St. Paul when Thompson was accused of eluding a police officer after being discovered unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle.
It is important to note that a formal criminal complaint has not yet been filed against Thompson due to the holiday weekend. However, it is expected that Thompson will face charges on Tuesday. Usually, suspects are not identified until they have been formally charged, but an exception was made in this case due to the seriousness of the incident.
