MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Former Minnesota state representative John Thompson, who was kicked out from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party caucus in September 2021, is now facing heightened scrutiny following the arrest of his son, Derrick John Thompson. Derrick has been charged with murder after allegedly plowing his vehicle into a car carrying five Somali women in Minneapolis, resulting in their tragic deaths.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the troubled history of John Thompson, a discredited politician who was ousted from the party caucus over various controversies. The case involving his son has intensified the focus on Thompson's troubled past and raised questions about his role in his son's actions.
Who is John Thompson?
Due to his prior legal issues, which included being accused of domestic violence, John Thompson was found lying when he claimed that a police officer had racially profiled him. This issue marked the beginning of Thompson's political downfall. Thompson was unseated in November 2022 despite having the support of notable Democrats including Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Representative Ilhan Omar for reelection in 2021.
According to Daily Mail, in April 2022, Thompson, who had been declared Independent, was accused of flashing his official business card, which St Paul police said was an effort to intimidate them. Besides this, Thompson is also said to have screamed at the officers when cops in St Paul on April 24, the same year pulled over his 26-year-old daughter, Larraja Austin. The St Paul Pioneer-Press reported that Thompson rose to prominence following the killing of his "good friend" Philando Castile. Vice Magzine featured him as Castile's 'best friend'.
'It turned ugly fast'
Thompson accused them of racism and was successful in getting the police to let Austin leave without requiring her to take a sobriety test or be detained. Officers participating in a campaign against unsafe driving pulled Austin over after observing her swerve, and it is said that they did so after smelling marijuana in her vehicle. St Paul Chief of Police Todd Axtell the publication noted, harshly criticized Thompson's alleged actions in a Facebook post, writing: "It turned ugly fast." On the day his daughter was stopped, Thompson went to Governor Tim Walz's State of the State speech in the evening.
Driving with a suspended Wisconsin license
The St Paul Police Department revealed a video of Thompson getting pulled over and making comparable accusations of racism against police in the summer of 2021. Thompson claimed to have been guilty of "driving while black." He said to the officer in the video, "You pulled me over because you saw a Black face in this car, brother." Thompson's suspended Wisconsin driver's license was made public as a result of that event after officers ran a check on his license plate. However, he had his driving privileges revoked in Minnesota in April 2019 in a Ramsey County child-support case as he had failed to pay child support in the county.
Domestic violence abuses
The media then found out that John Thompson had previously been charged with domestic violence. Thompson has been accused of many domestic violence incidents since 2003. In one instance, his kids were there when the attack allegedly took place, the outlet noted. The ex-state representative's wife, Lea Austin Thompson, came out in 2021 and countered the allegation by stating, "I have never been abused." Thompson was expelled from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party party caucus in the Minnesota legislature as a result of those discoveries. Thompson promised to continue representing his constituents as an independent in a statement following his dismissal.
Derrick John Thompson was previously convicted in a hit-and-run case
Derrick John Thompson had previously been convicted in a hit-and-run case in California in 2018, which left a woman with life-changing injuries. Despite being sentenced to eight years, he was released early due to California's Proposition 57, which allows for additional custody credits and early parole opportunities. The fatal crash caught on camera occurred when Derrick, allegedly attempting to flee from a police pursuit ran a red light speeding nearly 100mph- 40 miles over the speed limit and crashed into the vehicle carrying the five Somali women--Sabiriin Ali, 17, Sahra Gesaade, 20, Salma Abdikadir, 20, Sagal Hersi, 19, and Siham Adam, 19. The victims were innocent bystanders who were preparing for a friend's wedding the following day. Adding to the tragedy, the vehicle driven by Thompson at the time was found to contain over 17 pounds of marijuana and $20,000 in cash as per Fox News.
