Emmanuel Aranda charged after throwing five year old boy, Landen Hoffmann over 3rd floor balcony at Minnesota shopping center-Mall of America in premeditated attack.
A Minneapolis man accused of throwing a five-year-old boy off a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America has told of intentionally seeking to kill someone as revenge for being rejected by women at the Minnesota shopping center for several years.
Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, has since been charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder for Friday’s attack, according to Bloomington police.
Aranda’s victim, Landen Hoffmann, 5, is fighting for his life in a Minneapolis hospital with head trauma and multiple broken bones from the nearly 40-foot fall CBS Minnesota reported.
A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County on Monday says Landen and his mother were standing outside a restaurant when Aranda came close to them, (randomly) picked up the child and tossed the child over the balcony.
The complaint says Aranda told police he had been coming to the mall for several years seeking to talk to women, but had been rejected- causing him to lash out.
A bystander who police say witnessed Aranda push the child chased him down and stopped him as he fled the scene.
Of disconcert, Aranda had planned to kill someone on Thursday but was preempted – only to return the following day when he targeted five year old Landen.
Officials said the suspect had been banned from Mall of America in the past.
Emmanuel Aranda a prior history of crime and mental health issues:
Aranda’s criminal record includes two convictions in 2015 for obstruction of the legal process/interfering with a peace officer, as well as convictions for fifth-degree assault, trespassing and damage to property.
Court records show Aranda being arrested on July 4, 2015, after police said he matched the description of a man throwing things off the upper level of the Mall of America.
Police say Aranda refused to give his name and resisted arrest during that incident.
The suspect in another incident was also accused of walking into a store and sweeping his hand across a display table, breaking glasses.
In October 2015, Aranda was accused of throwing glasses in Twin Cities Grill in the mall.
The complaint says Aranda approached a woman who was waiting for the restaurant to open and asked her to buy him something.
The woman refused – only for Aranda allegedly throwing a glass of water in the woman’s face along with a glass of tea that struck her leg.
Aranda was under a trespass notice at the time banning him from the mall until July 4, 2016.
Aranda was also charged in August of 2015 with destroying computers in a north Minneapolis library. According to the criminal complaint, Aranda told officers that “he has some anger issues,” and that, “it does not happen all the time.”
Aranda’s family have since responded saying the 24 year was ‘battling’ mental health challenges for a ‘very long time’ according to the suspect’s uncle, Francis Aranda.
A GoFundMe campaign for Landen, of Woodbury, Minnesota, has raised more than $589,000 as of Monday afternoon.
‘His soul is soft and gentle and instantly brings a smile to everybody he meets,’ according to the GoFundMe page.
‘He is full of energy and life and enjoys soccer, playing with friends and family and playing hockey with his brother and sister.’
They wrote in a post Sunday that the youngster ‘is still continuing to fight’.
In the update loved ones said: ‘We are all completely overwhelmed with the love and support that has come our way during this tragic time.
‘He had a peaceful sleep and is still continuing to fight his courageous battle, he’s a strong survivor!’
Aranda is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon and prosecutors will be seeking bail of $2 million.
