Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to seek aggravated sentence for driver in crash that killed 5

In court documents filed Monday, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it will seek an aggravated sentence for Derrick Thompson, the driver in a June crash that killed five women.

The Attorney’s Office, the prosecutor in the case, listed three reasons for the upward sentencing departure:

• Thompson has a previous conviction for a similar offense.
• Thompson didn’t try to help the victims or alert medical personnel about their injuries prior to fleeing the scene.
• Thompson’s offense is worse than the “typical offense.” His driving conduct represented a greater-than-normal danger to others and his driving conduct was more serious than the conduct usually seen in cases with similar charges.

The upward sentencing departure would depend on Thompson being found guilty by jury trial.

As previously reported, Derrick Thompson was arrested and charged in connection with a high-speed crash that killed five women.

Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gessade, Salma Abdikadir, Sagal Hersi and Siham Adam were killed in the crash.

RELATED: Funeral held for five victims killed in Minneapolis crash

He is facing 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide, as well as federal charges for illegal possession of fentanyl and a firearm.

Thompson has a prior felony conviction from a 2018 hit-and-run in Montecito, California, that injured a woman. He received an eight-year sentence for the incident in 2020 and was released from prison in January after earning credit for good conduct behind bars, California corrections officials said.

Minnesota driving records also show Thomspon was arrested and convicted for fleeing a police officer in 2017. His driver’s license was eventually revoked, but records show it was reinstated on June 7, 2023, less than two weeks before the deadly crash.