[ad_1]
The boy was seriously injured and is being treated at the Minneapolis Children's Hospital, said Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts at a press conference on the afternoon of Monday. April 12th.
The man, later identified by the police as Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, escaped from the scene but was arrested at the transit station of the mall. Aranda lives in the Twin Cities metro, police said.
Potts said the incident was isolated – that both Aranda and the child did not know each other before – and that the investigators "are actively trying to understand why this happened … s & rsquo; s & rsquo; s & rsquo; It was an interaction on the ground or reason ".
The chaotic scene unfolded around 10:15 am in the southeast corner of the mall, the boy dipping from the third floor to the first floor near the escalators located near the Michael Kors and Clarks stores. A witness stated that the boy's mother was sobbing and shouting: "Someone has hurt my baby! Thank you for praying! Thank you for praying!
Customers at the mall and the police took action that saved the boy's life, said Potts.
A woman who worked at a nearby store and did not want to be identified said she heard screams, went out of the store and saw the boy hit the floor.
"Time stopped a minute for me," she said. "I saw the boy leave still."
The man fled after the incident, but was arrested at the mall and interrogated by investigators from the Bloomington Police Department, Potts said.
"Of course, our immediate concern is with the child," said Potts, adding that the mother was accompanying the child. "Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with this child and his family, in the hope that this child will be able to recover."
Potts said it was not yet clear whether the child and his family were from Minnesota. He also had no details about the suspect.
Bloomington police are working with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Laboratory to handle the scene, Potts said. A small part of the shopping center is cordoned off on the first and third levels.
Police are working with mall officials to see if there is a video of the crime, Potts said.
Metro Transit stopped the Blue Line tram service around 11 am due to police activities. Service resumed just before 11:30
The Mall of America released the following statement Friday afternoon:
"It was an insane act and words can not really express our deep shock and sadness. Our one and only immediate concern is the well-being of the family and the child, as well as anyone who may have witnessed the incident.
"We offer consulting services to anyone who may need assistance. We know that it is a worrying event for all of us. While the Bloomington Police Department continues to investigate the causes and reasons for this isolated incident, we will cooperate fully with us. "
[ad_2]
Source link