Minneapolis, MN
Derrick Thompson offered plea deal in Minneapolis crash that killed 5 young women
![Derrick Thompson offered plea deal in Minneapolis crash that killed 5 young women Derrick Thompson offered plea deal in Minneapolis crash that killed 5 young women](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2023/06/17/e5a38fea-5b06-4176-89d9-c7149df594e8/thumbnail/1200x630/3db607d911895558ae0f4d38dc52b430/8am-vo-lake-st-deadly-c-wcco3k00.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
MINNEAPOLIS — A man who is accused of killing five young women in a south Minneapolis car crash in June of last year has been offered a plea deal, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office confirmed.
Derrick Thompson, 28, was offered a plea agreement where he would plead guilty to five counts of criminal vehicular homicide while causing the accident and fleeing the scene. In return, the five other charges of criminal vehicular homicide while operating a motor vehicle in a gross or negligent manner would be dismissed.
The attorney’s office says the dropped charges are alternative charges of the same conduct, so if the case were to go to trial, Thompson would still only face sentencing on a maximum of five counts.
If Thompson accepts the plea deal, he would serve between 32 and 38 years in prison.
The offer remains open until Thompson’s next court date, which is scheduled for Nov. 4.
In December 2023, Thompson pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapons charges stemming from the crash.
Details of the crash
Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Adam, 19, were in a vehicle going through the intersection of Lake Street and Second Avenue on June 16, 2023, when a speeding driver, later identified as Thompson, slammed into them. All five were killed.
According to a criminal complaint, shortly before the crash, a state trooper on Interstate 35W near 46th Street saw a driver in a black Cadillac Escalade speeding and “weaving in and out of traffic lanes in a reckless manner.” The trooper clocked the vehicle’s speed at 95 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Before the trooper could activate their emergency lights or sirens, the driver “abruptly cut across all four lanes of traffic,” exiting I-35W at the Lake Street exit, still allegedly speeding down the ramp.
The driver of the Escalade sped through a red light and slammed into a Honda Civic traveling through a green light, the complaint states. The cars “collided violently” causing “catastrophic damage” to both of them, per the complaint.
Officers at the scene found a Hertz rental car receipt listing Derrick Thompson as the renter outside of the Escalade. The receipt showed the vehicle was rented at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport just 24 minutes before the fatal crash.
Thompson ran away from the scene of the crash but was arrested nearby. He was hospitalized after the crash but has been discharged and taken into custody, per the complaint.
While searching Thompson’s rental car, 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, according to the complaint. Thompson 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.
Investigators said Thompson’s “driving record includes numerous charges and convictions for driving after suspension and driving after revocation,” and that his Minnesota driver’s license was revoked in 2018 and reinstated in 2023.
In September 2018, Thompson crashed his car in California, striking a woman from North Carolina who was on vacation, putting her in a coma for 20 days. She survived and partially recovered.
Inside the car, police found $20,000 in cash and more than 17 pounds of marijuana. He pleaded guilty to multiple felonies and received an eight-year prison sentence, but was released a few months before the fatal Minneapolis crash.
Thompson is the son of former state Rep. John Thompson, DFL-St. Paul.
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Minneapolis, MN
2 women charged in Lululemon shoplifting scheme in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Two Minnesota women are charged with organizing thefts of several thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise from a Lululemon store in Minneapolis and then funneling the stolen goods through a suburban nail salon.
My Hoang Thi Van, 56, and Kathy Nguyen, 24, are each charged with one felony count of organized retail theft. Minneapolis police tracked down the roommates from suburban Crystal after getting tipped by corporate investigators for the high-end athletic retailer, the Star Tribune reported.
The criminal complaints filed Thursday say Lululemon investigators found high shoplifting losses at their store in downtown Minneapolis, then identified a suspect through surveillance videos and interviews with store employees. That suspect, who has not been charged, would steal bags off a merchandise rack, fill them with goods and leave without paying.
Investigators placed GPS tracking tags in several bags, and when the individual stole them, tracked her movements. The woman would take the stolen merchandise to Diamond Nails Salon in Crystal, then leave the salon without the bags but holding a “large sum of money in her hand,” the complaint alleged.
When police arrested the shoplifter, she told them she had been directed to steal the clothes by a woman who worked at the salon, who she identified as Van. She said Van would pay her $400 for the clothes and remove the theft sensors, then place the stolen merchandise in a plastic bag and resell it. She estimated she had made at least 100 transactions with Van.
Police later found “numerous white plastic bags of stolen Lululemon merchandise” throughout the defendants’ home, along with anti-theft tags that had been removed, the complaint alleged.
The total value of merchandise stolen from the store was still being tallied, but the complaint said it was “well in excess of $5,000.”
Nguyen’s attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday. Court records did not list an attorney for Van, and she did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Studio Make Dives Into A Neon-Noir World With Music Vid 'Alone In The Darkness'
![Minneapolis Studio Make Dives Into A Neon-Noir World With Music Vid 'Alone In The Darkness' Minneapolis Studio Make Dives Into A Neon-Noir World With Music Vid 'Alone In The Darkness'](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/make_siames.jpg)
“Alone in the Darkness” is a neon-noir music video for the Argentine indie band Siamés, created by Minneapolis animation studio Make and directed Danny Robashkin.
A long non-binary figure navigates menacing alleyways and along deserted sidewalks. Once home the individual struggles to sleep, haunted by a variety of demonic figures, and soon finding themself futilely fleeing the demons at every turn.
Facing one’s fears has become an increasingly prevalent theme in short animation – both for kids and adults. “Alone in the Darkness” is no exception. With its lush mix of black, blue, and red, the story – like the song – suggests that you can run all you want from your demons, but they’ll still be there the moment you turn around, so best you just meet them face to face and deal with your shit here and now.
To capture the continual shifts in mood, the team “designed the world to be dark, with light creating shapes from the outside in.” According to Make:
Instead of starting with white, we used black as the base. Characters were outlined in white, detailed with blue or red, and kept mostly black for high contrast. Each animator had their own method, usually starting with black lines, adding red or blue, and then white highlights, or mixing up the order based on what worked best for each shot.
On its own Youtube channel, Make posted an edit of the video that compares images from the animatic to the final video:
Minneapolis, MN
911 call transcript released for Minneapolis fire that left 2 dead, 4 hospitalized
![911 call transcript released for Minneapolis fire that left 2 dead, 4 hospitalized 911 call transcript released for Minneapolis fire that left 2 dead, 4 hospitalized](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox9.com/www.fox9.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1280/720/9-V-MINNEAPOLIS-APARTMENT-FIRE-911-TRANSCRIPT_00.00.25.26.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Arson suspected in Mpls fire after 2 dead
Two people have been found dead in a burned Minneapolis apartment building that police not suspect was started by someone on purpose.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The 911 call transcripts from a fatal Aug. 13 Minneapolis fire reveal frantic calls made to dispatchers as residents fled from flames.
911 call reveals frantic escape
The transcript shows a caller telling the 911 operator that “someone set our building on fire” as the caller ran through the hallway to escape. The caller also said “The whole hallway is hot” and “smoking.”
The caller then realized they forgot their cats were inside and pleaded with the 911 operator to send help quickly. The operator then tells the caller to remain outside before firetruck sirens are heard in the background. Officials did not report any deceased animals or pets following the fire.
READ MORE: Minneapolis apartment fire deaths, search details provided by fire chief
Fire crews did rescue a dog that was reunited with its owner after receiving oxygen treatment.
911 caller reports possible suspect
Another 911 caller reported someone set the fire in the second-floor hallway.
The caller then gave a description of who they believe set the fire, but police say no arrests related to the fire have been made.
What we know
The fire was reported just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at a four-story apartment building in the 1500 block of 11th Avenue South in Minneapolis.
The fire left four people hospitalized, including a child, while several others had to be rescued from the burning building. Two adults and a child were treated for burn injuries and another person was treated for smoke inhalation.
The first body was found around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15. Authorities described the victim as an elderly man who was found under the debris of a collapsed roof.
The second body was found later in the day on Thursday. Officials say the victim was a woman who was also found underneath the debris.
Both fatal victims were found in the same apartment on the top floor.
READ MORE: Minneapolis apartment fire leaves 4 hospitalized, others rescued from building
Minneapolis officials offer apartment fire update
On Friday Minneapolis Fire Chief Brian Tyner offered updates on an apartment fire that killed two people, and put several others in the hospital. FOX 9’s Rob Olson recaps the latest.
The building was not equipped with an automatic sprinkler system.
What we don’t know
Officials have not announced any charges related to the fire, but said they are investigating it as an arson.
Police say the fire is still under investigation and no arrests have been made.
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