MINNEAPOLIS _ A 24-year-old Twin Cities man is being held by Bloomington police on suspicion of attempted homicide after he threw or pushed a 5-year-old boy from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America on Friday morning, police said.
Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda was arrested in the mall transit station after fleeing the scene of the child's fall, Bloomington police said.
The boy was taken by ambulance from the mall to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. No further information on his condition was available.
Tina Hailey of Burnsville was walking with her husband and had just rounded the corner on the mall's first floor near Macy's when she heard screams.
"Oh, my God." Pray for my son," she heard the mother yelled out.
The mother screamed uncontrollably and appeared to be in shock, Hailey said.
"She didn't know what to do. Nobody was helping her," she added.
Hailey, who has a 4-year-old grandson, said the screams and the sight of those working to resuscitate the boy will likely stay with her for some time.
"I won't forget it. It was horrific," she said. "I hope he survived."
Police don't know why the child was launched over the railing, Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said, adding that there doesn't seem to be any connection between the victim, his family and Aranda. Potts said he didn't know whether the victim's family is from Minnesota or visiting from elsewhere.
Police were called to the mall at 10:17 a.m. for a report of a child falling over a railing, but witnesses indicated the child had been "pushed or thrown," Potts said.
The child fell to the first floor, where several witnesses and passersby tried to perform CPR on him, Potts said. Initial accounts over emergency audio indicated that the child wasn't breathing.
The suspect ran down to the first floor and "was located inside the mall," Potts said. An older man tried to stop the suspect and was assaulted by him, witnesses told police.
Blue Line train service to the mall was suspended for about 45 minutes as police responded to the incident.
Small portions of the south court on the first and third floors remained cordoned off Friday afternoon as lab technicians processed the scene.
Potts said police are looking at security video from inside the mall to gather more information.
"At this point we believe this is an isolated incident," he said. "We're actively trying to figure out why this occurred.
"We don't believe there is a threat to the public at this point."
According to public records, Aranda has been convicted of trespassing, fifth-degree assault and interfering with a police officer, all misdemeanors. He also has a felony conviction for first-degree damage to property.
