BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — 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.
Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey Potts said witnesses told police that the child may have been pushed or thrown from the mall’s third level to the first floor on Friday. Officers gave first aid but the 5-year-old child suffered “significant injuries” and had been taken to a hospital, Potts said.
Potts said the suspect took off running right after the incident but was quickly found and arrested at the mall.
He said police don’t think there is any relationship between the man and the child or the child’s family. He says police don’t have an idea about possible motive.
“At this point we believe this is an isolated incident,” Potts said. “We’re actively trying to figure out why this occurred.”
No details were immediately available about the child’s condition.
The 4.2-million-square-foot Mall of America is in Bloomington, about 10 miles south of Minneapolis.
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