5-year-old boy thrown from Mall of America balcony remains hospitalized with serious injuries

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.

Bloomington police said on Friday that Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, was charged with attempted homicide in connection with the incident.

Aranda lives in the Bloomington area, police said. He had two previous trespass notices ordering him to stay away from the Mall of America, according to the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis.

A GoFundMe for the child raised more than $400,000 towards the goal of $500,000 in a single day. The fund is to help cover his medical care in the coming years.

A family friend wrote this about Landen:

“Landen has a very long road to recovery ahead of him. He suffered life threatening injuries, many people who fall from that distance aren’t as lucky to make it. He has many surgeries ahead in his life to try to get back to a normal life for a young, vibrant boy. We started this GoFundMe for their family to help cover the immense medical costs and rehabilitation costs for the long ahead.”

If you wish to donate, you can find a link to his page here.

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Sean Walton is a researcher and journalist for The Daily Sheeple. Send tips to [email protected].