Derrick Thompson will face murder charges in Lake Street crash that killed 5, prosecutors say
MINNEAPOLIS — A man accused of speeding off a highway and onto a city street in Minneapolis, slamming into another car and killing five young women will now face murder charges, prosecutors said.
Derrick Thompson was charged with 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide in June 2023. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced Monday Thompson will face five counts of third-degree murder in addition to the original charges.
County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Thompson's "lengthy record of dangerous driving, the trail of devastation he's left in his wake, and his conduct in this case" warranted the new charges.
The fatal crash occurred June 16 at the intersection of Lake Street and Second Avenue, just off of Interstate 35W. According to a criminal complaint, a state trooper on I-35W saw a driver "weaving in and out of traffic lanes in a reckless manner" and going 95 mph in a 55 mph zone. Before the trooper could initiate a traffic stop, the driver cut across the entire highway, sped down the Lake Street exit, ran a red light and slammed into another car.
The crash killed five people: Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Adam, 19. The speeding driver — whom authorities later identified as Thompson — was arrested nearby and hospitalized.
In August, the attorney's office confirmed it had offered a plea deal to Thompson, which would require him to plead guilty to five counts of criminal vehicular homicide in exchange for having five others dropped. Prosecutors said the deal, which would be taken off the table at the next court date on Nov. 4, would lead to a sentence between 32 and 38 years.
Five of Thompson's homicide counts relate to operation of a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner, and five relate to leaving the scene after causing a collision. The plea deal would drop the former charges.
Police found a loaded semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, more than 2,000 fentanyl pills, 13 MDMA pills and about 35 grams of cocaine in Thompson's vehicle after the crash, according to the complaint. He also faces federal charges of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Derrick Thompson is the son of former state Rep. John Thompson, DFL-St. Paul.
Last week, Moriarty's office made a similar move in the case against a man accused of drunkenly driving into a restaurant patio in St. Louis Park. Steven Bailey was originally charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular operation. The attorney's office added two counts of third-degree murder after viewing surveillance video of the crash, which killed two people and injured several more.