BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota—A 5-year-old boy who was thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America near Minneapolis remains hospitalized with serious injuries, authorities said Saturday.
Bloomington police Chief Jeffrey Potts said during a news conference that the boy fell nearly 40 feet after a man who apparently didn’t know the boy or his family threw him off the balcony Friday. Authorities haven’t released the boy’s name and say his family has requested privacy.
Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts updating us on a child that was pushed or thrown over a third-floor railing at the Mall of America. 24-year-old man in custody but they don’t know the relationship to the child, who was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. pic.twitter.com/ecZreRDnoI
— Rob Olson (@RobOlsonFOX9) April 12, 2019
Potts said he couldn’t give an update on the boy’s status, except to say that he’s being cared for at the hospital and that his parents are with him. Hospital officials haven’t responded to requests for a status update.
Donations pour in for boy thrown from Mall of America balcony https://t.co/fKOFJZ0VeU pic.twitter.com/PIRG4jmH4D
— New York Post (@nypost) April 14, 2019
Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis, was arrested at the mall’s transit station after the attack and is jailed on a suspicion of attempted homicide charge. Potts credited bystanders and mall security for his quick capture.
DEVELOPING: A child was rushed to a hospital Friday after reportedly being thrown from a balcony at the Mall of America. | https://t.co/xli8k5l1v7 pic.twitter.com/0x2I7cHf0T
— WCCO – CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) April 12, 2019
“This is a horrific situation,” Potts said.
Potts said investigators don’t believe Aranda knew the boy’s family and do not have a motive.
A witness, Brian Johnson, told WCCO-TV on Friday that he heard a woman scream that her child had been thrown from the balcony. He said she was screaming, “Everybody pray, everybody pray. Oh my God, my baby, someone threw him over the edge.”
Brian Johnson walked into Mall of America moments after a child was pushed from the third floor, according to police. Johnson said the child’s family member was asking for prayers and that police immediately got a handle on the scene. @kare11 pic.twitter.com/1gYf7ptzAz
— Danny Spewak (@DannySpewak) April 12, 2019
Court records show that Aranda has a history of convictions for misdemeanor offense. He was charged in two previous incidents at the mall in 2015. Potts said some of those cases were handled through mental health court, but he didn’t elaborate. At one point, Aranda had a trespass notice banning him from the mall, but it was no longer in effect, Potts said.
Jail records don’t list an attorney for Aranda. Potts said he expects to submit the case to Hennepin County prosecutors for charges by noon on Monday.
UPDATE: Police identify 24-year-old man they say threw or pushed a 5-year-old boy from a third-story balcony at Mall of America. | https://t.co/dY0ALZLeNS pic.twitter.com/9mxTiFQBWi
— WCCO – CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) April 12, 2019
The 4.2-million-square-foot Mall of America is in Bloomington, about 10 miles south of Minneapolis. It opened in 1992, has more than 520 stores and is visited by 40 million visitors annually, according to its website.