Newly circulated footage shows state Rep. John Thompson threatening to “beat” and “hurt” reporters at the scene of a triple homicide just days after he assumed office.
Thompson, who once famously threatened to have a mob he led burn down the town of Hugo, Minnesota, said he would “beat the brakes off” two journalists as they tried to cover a Jan. 30 triple homicide alongside other media outlets in St. Paul. The reporters were affiliated with Capital Transparency, a libertarian-leaning YouTube channel that reports on crime and police action in the Twin Cities area.
The video shows Thompson pressing the reporters about their affiliation before he identifies himself as a state representative. This prompts one of the journalists to turn on a camera light, sending the legislator into a fit of rage.
“Don’t play with me, man. I’m not the person to play with … you shine your light in my face like I won’t beat the brakes off your motherfucking ass out here,” he warns after reaching for the light.
“I’m not the person to play with, bro. Don’t play with me, man. Don’t play with me, man,” he continues. “You in the wrong neighborhood to be playing them games, bro, for real. You play too much and that’s gon’ get you hurt out here,” Thompson is seen yelling at the reporters as they walk back to their cars.
The elected Democrat never clarified what games he thought Capital Transparency was playing.
The Walz-endorsed lawmaker then suggests that the journalistic duo is racist because they used a light. “You racist as hell, you just shined that light in my face, white boys,” he says in the video.
“Have a good night, sir,” the reporter holding the camera responds, shortly before a police officer appears to usher Thompson away from the confrontation.
This confrontation played out just 25 days after Thompson began his term in the Minnesota House on Jan. 5. Since assuming office, he has maintained the steadfast support of Gov. Tim Walz who now backs Thompson’s bill to spend $450 million mostly on black-only social programs.
Meanwhile, police have made progress in solving the triple homicide that drew Capital Transparency and Rep. Thompson together. Twenty-six-year-old TeKeith Svyone Jones now stands accused of killing a mother, 30-year-old D’Zondria Wallace, and her two daughters, 14-year-old La’Porsha Wallace and 11-year-old Ja’Corbie Wallace, per the city.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
