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Boy, 5, thrown from mall balcony 'showing real signs of recovery'

By Allen Cone
The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., has three levels on the west side. Photo by Runner1928/Wikimedia Commons
The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., has three levels on the west side. Photo by Runner1928/Wikimedia Commons

April 20 (UPI) -- A 5-year-old boy is "showing real signs of recovery" one week after being thrown from the third floor of the Mall of America in Minnesota, according to the family.

Emmanuel Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis, is charged with attempted murder after the boy Landen Hoffmann was grabbed and pushed nearly 40 feet from the balcony onto the mall's tile floor on April 12 in Bloomington.

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"Our miracle child Landen is showing real signs or recovery," according to a post Friday on a GoFundMe page. "New test results have been positive, though he remains in intensive care with a long road ahead. Our faith in God, and our Savior Jesus, is strong and we are gaining more reason for optimism day by day. We continue our request for privacy as we focus on Landen and thank you for respecting our wishes."

The page created one day after the incident had raised $921,539 of a $1 million from 26,058 people through Sunday.

Emergency officials transported him to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis with broken bones and serious head trauma.

The mother had never seen Aranda before the incident.

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"Defendant ... said that he was the one who had thrown the 5-year-old victim from the balcony and fled," the criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court read. "He said he formed a plan to kill someone at the mall" the day before.

"He said he planned to kill an adult, because they usually stand near the balcony, but he chose the victim instead."

Aranda was detained at the mall's transit station after running from the scene.

The judge set Aranda's bail at $2 million.

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