Charges Filed Against Minneapolis Man Who Threw Five Year Old Boy Off The Balcony at M.O.A.

WCCO reports Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda of Minneapolis told police that he went to the Mall of America with intent of killing somebody the day before he threw the boy over the balcony, but "it did not work out."  According to the complaint the mother and her son Landen were standing in front of the Rainforest Caf'e when Arnada approached them without warning and threw the boy over the balcony falling 39 feet to the ground below.

Medical personnel arrived on the scene to treat the boy who had massive head trauma and multiple broken bones. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. “This crime has shocked the community, that a child, with his mother, at a safe public area like a mall, could be violently attacked for no reason is chilling for everyone. Our victim advocates are working with the family during this very difficult time for them. We charged Mr. Aranda with the most severe crime that the evidence allowed.”

Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda faces one felony count of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. Aranda is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon and prosecutors will be seeking bail of $2 million. Prosecutors are intending to pursue  a longer sentence for the crime given the cruelty and violence of this crime and vulnerability of the child and for it to happen in front of the boy's mother and other children.

The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital and, according to the complaint, remains in critical condition. The family is asking for privacy at this time, but a friend of the family has started a Go Fund Me Page  which has already exceeded over $500,000 in days.