Warrant: Drugs found in Derrick Thompson's SUV after fatal crash
Thompson was sweaty and out of breath from running from the fatal crash when police found him, and he quickly became sleepy and uncommunicative, the warrant said.
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MINNEAPOLIS — When Derrick Thompson blew past a state trooper at 10:09 p.m. on Interstate 35W Friday night, the trooper clocked him at 95 miles per hour in the 55 zone, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Hennepin County on Tuesday.
The affidavit goes on to say Thompson had already run from the scene of the crash that killed five young women by the time the trooper could catch up.
When police found Thompson down the block from the crash at the Taco Bell, the search warrant says Thompson was sweating and out of breath, then quickly became very sleepy with droopy eyelids and became uncommunicative, which officers identified as signs of impairment.
Police then found marijuana in the Cadillac Escalade that Thompson was driving.
A Hertz Rental agreement found on the ground by the Escalade revealed Thompson had rented it from the airport just 20 minutes before the crash, at 9:46 p.m.
Thompson had a valid Minnesota driver's license at the time of the crash, according to the Department of Public Safety, despite his history of fleeing police — including a 2020 conviction in California for a hit-and-run that permanently injured a female pedestrian.
Thompson received an eight-year sentence for that offense but was released in less than three years. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Officials still won't reveal when exactly Thompson got out of prison, telling KARE 11 News they need to ask Minneapolis police if that information will jeopardize their investigation.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials aren't able to explain yet how Thompson had a valid Minnesota license despite his California conviction.
MPD arrested Thompson Monday afternoon and booked him into the Hennepin County Jail after he was discharged from Hennepin County Medical Center for injuries he sustained in the crash.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is still weighing charges for Thompson. The charging deadline is Wednesday at noon, but they could ask a judge for an extension.
Legal experts tell KARE 11 News charges would likely either be criminal vehicular homicide or the more serious, third-degree murder, which has been upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court in an impaired driving case involving death.
Minnesota allows for consecutive sentences when there are multiple victims.
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Source: KARE11.com
