MINNEAPOLIS — Police said a vehicle was going 100 miles per hour before the driver left Interstate 35W and smashed into another vehicle on Lake Street Friday night, killing all five people inside.
Minneapolis police say the driver of the speeding car was 27-year-old Derrick John Thompson, the son of former Minnesota State Representative John Thompson.
Derrick Thompson has been convicted twice in Minnesota of fleeing police — in one case, admitting he had smoked marijuana.
After the Lake Street crash, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said police suspected impaired driving.
"Absolutely reckless and we suspect the driver is impaired," O'Hara said.
Surveillance video of the crash itself shows the victim's car was almost all the way through the intersection when the speeding car went right through the red light and smashed into them.
That video — recorded by a Metro Transit camera — was leaked to Alpha News reporter Liz Collin and posted on social media in the days following, prompting Chief O'Hara to say an investigation into that has now been opened.
As for Derrick Thompson, he was hospitalized until being booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Monday afternoon for suspicion of murder.
Those who've researched his record might be surprised he was free.
In 2018, he was convicted of fleeing police and hitting a pedestrian in California, resulting in the victim being put in a coma. He received an eight-year prison sentence and it's unclear how long he served before being released.
KARE 11 typically does not identify individuals until they have been formally charged with a crime, but has chosen to do so because of the high-profile nature of this case.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she expects to make a charging decision soon.
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