Man throws boy from Mall of America balcony

A 24-year-old man was arrested Friday in an incident in which a 5-year-old child may have been pushed or thrown from a balcony at the Mall of America, police said.

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.

Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey 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 At one point, Aranda had a trespass notice banning him from the mall, but it was no longer in effect, Potts said.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.

The 5-year-old boy who was thrown from a third-floor balcony remains hospitalized with serious injuries, authorities said Saturday.

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.

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.”

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