Second Texas Tech Football Player Arrested for Street Racing

LUBBOCK, TX –  A second Texas Tech football player who is accused of street racing vehicles in late June was arrested on Monday.

SaRodorick Thompson, the 20-year-old running back from Irving, was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center just before 2 p.m. Monday, according to jail records.

After posting $2,500 in bond, Thompson was released around 4:26 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Records indicate Thompson currently faces a Class B misdemeanor charge for racing stemming from an incident June 27 in which he’s accused of fleeing the scene while a fellow teammate was being arrested.

Thompson was Tech's leading rusher last season and once more in the Red Raider's 2020 season opener.

Tech later announced Monday evening that Thompson will be eligible to play in Saturday’s Big 12 opener against No.9 ranked Texas.

A warrant was issued for Thompson’s arrest on Sept. 9, which was later served on Sept. 15.

Records indicate that SaRodorick Thompson was notified late last week that a misdemeanor warrant was issued for his arrest.

 According to a statement from the university, “Thompson and his lawyer are currently cooperating with the Lubbock Police Department and have done so since the incident in late June. Texas Tech Athletics will handle the matter consistent with its student-athlete discipline policy and any discipline will be handled internally. Thompson is expected to play in Saturday’s Big 12 opener versus Texas.”

A university spokesman said the charges against Thompson are considered to be  “Level 2 misconducts” in the Texas Tech Student-Athlete Code of Conduct, which does not formally require a suspension.

The Avalanche-Journal previously reported on July 2 that authorities with the Lubbock Police Department arrested 20-year-old Caden Trey Leggett on June 27 for a Class B misdemeanor charge of racing on a state highway.

Court records indicate Leggett was released from the Lubbock County Jail after posting $750 in bond just a few hours later. 

At the time, Texas Tech officials announced they were aware and would continue gathering all the facts regarding the situation and would handle it “in accordance with the Student-Athlete Code of Conduct process."

A police report states from the LPD states that a Texas Tech athletics department official texted investigators a picture of Thompson’s license plate.

Investigators with the LPD believe Leggett and another player who was later identified as SaRodorick Thompson set out to street race on a pre-determined route throughout the city of Lubbock, according to the police report.

An LPD patrol officer witnessed three vehicles speeding northbound at a high rate of speed around 2:40 a.m. in the 10,000 block of Indiana Avenue and began pursuing the vehicles.

“I had to travel at a high rate of speed in order to attempt to catch up to the vehicles,” the pursuing officer wrote in his incident report.

After a short pursuit the officer caught up to the three vehicles consisting of, a dark colored Dodge Challenger, a white Ford Mustang and another unspecified white vehicle at a red light at the intersection of 82nd Street and Indiana Avenue.

However, when the light turned green the vehicles sped away according to the report.

The officer immediately activated his lights and sirens in order to get the three vehicles to stop.

The officer pulled along side the Dodge Challenger and motioned for the driver to pull over immediately.

The officer believes the driver of the Challenger saw him, before pulling up behind the Mustang to stop its driver.

The driver of the Mustang quickly pulled over near the 3300 block of 76th Street. However, the driver of the Dodge Challenger and third vehicle continued driving after ignoring the officers commands the report states.

 Leggett was identified as the driver of the Mustang, and records indicate he reportedly admitted to street racing with a teammate at the scene.

A passenger in Leggett’s vehicle, who was not arrested, cooperated with the officer at the scene and texted the teammate who is believed to be the driver of the Challenger, who replied that he was turning back. However, the teammate never returned.

The officer recovered Leggett’s phone during an inventory search of his vehicle and located what appeared to be a map depicting a predetermined route the two players had planned to race on,

The driver of the third vehicle has not been identified at this time. 

Thompson, the sophomore running back, was the Red Raiders’ leading rusher last year after recording 765 yards and 12 touchdowns on 160 carries last season.

In the university's season finale last year against Texas, Thompson carried the ball 16 times for 86 yards and a touchdown, and in the Red Raiders’ Sept. 12 season opener against Houston Baptist he rushed for 118 yards and two TDs.

Texas Tech is set to host Texas in the Big 12 conference opener at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.