INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Mall of America had been open only 17 minutes Friday morning when the screaming started.On the first floor, laying face up between an
escalator and the Michael Kors store, was a 5-year-old boy
He had been thrown from three stories above - by a stranger, police say
There was blood; the boy was not moving.The child's mother asked everyone to pray, witnesses said, and security guards, patrons and police
The boy was rushed to a local hospital with "significant injuries" from the 40-foot fall, authorities said, and was still being treated 24
hours later."That's a pretty high fall," Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey Potts said at a news conference Saturday in Minnesota, describing
the scene and his reaction to it
"Immediately, my thoughts were: how can something like this happen"Potts called the situation "horrific" and said the department was keeping
the boy and his family in their "thoughts and prayers." Because the family has asked for privacy, authorities are not yet releasing the name
Potts did not offer details about his condition."The child is still alive and receiving care," he said.The suspect, 24-year-old Emmanuel
Deshawn Aranda, initially fled on foot, authorities said
A witness tried to stop him, and officers soon after apprehended and arrested the Minneapolis man in the mall's transit station
Aranda faces a preliminary charge of attempted homicide and is being held at the Hennepin County Jail."I just hope that little guy turns out
OK," witness Michael Baumann told local TV station ABC 5
how could anybody do that"Records show that Aranda has a history of assault and bad behavior at the Mall of America, a sprawling complex in
the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, that hosts hundreds of retail stores, restaurants, an amusement park and aquarium and
draws 40 million visitors a year.Aranda has been banished from the mall in past years, though authorities said the trespassing holds had
expired by Friday's incident.In July 2015, he was arrested at the Mall of America on three misdemeanor charges - property damage, disorderly
conduct and interfering with a peace officer - after police say Aranda threw items from the upper level of the mall to the lower level
He had also swept his hand across a display table at the beauty store Bare Minerals, breaking lip gloss containers and shot glasses, police
said.Aranda was banned from the mall for one year.A month later, in August 2015, Aranda told authorities he has "anger issues" when he was
arrested on a felony property damage charge at the public library
Aranda had smashed five computers and keyboards "beyond repair" after he read something on Facebook that infuriated him, the man told
authorities.Then in October 2015, Aranda returned to the Mall of America again - in violation of his no-trespass order - and harassed and
assaulted a woman inside a restaurant there, records show.Aranda asked the woman to buy him something while they sat outside the restaurant,
The woman laughed off the request, records show, and sat down inside
Aranda followed her inside, sat at the table beside her and continued his campaign
When management intervened, Aranda grew enraged
He tossed a glass of water in the woman's face, then threw a glass of tea at her leg, shattering the cup.He was arrested on six misdemeanor
charges.At the news conference Saturday, Potts said his police department had an additional encounter with Aranda, in which he refused to
pay his bill at a restaurant.Potts said some of Aranda's past cases were handled through a mental health court, but would not comment
further on the man's mental health status at the time of Friday's incident.At least one parent was with the young victim Friday morning when
Aranda allegedly threw him from the third-floor balcony
Both parents were at his bedside in the hospital, Potts said
The family is also from the Twin cities area.Brian Johnson had just entered the mall when he saw the crowds of people gathered near the
escalator and the boy on the ground
His mother, Johnson told ABC 5, pleaded with the onlookers: "Everyone please pray
Everyone here right now, please pray.""How in the heck can this happen with all of the craziness going on in the world," Johnson said
"Why would you single out a kid and ruin a family's life like this"(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Get the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on TheIndianSubcontinent.com/elections
