MN Man In Custody After Child Thrown Off ‘Mall Of America’ 3rd Level

BLOOMINGTON, MN. (THECOUNT) — A 5-year-old child suffered life-threatening injuries when, according to witnesses, a man either threw or pushed the child from the third floor of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. A suspect in the case has been taken into custody.

Bloomington police Chief Jeff Potts told reporters that police were called to the mall at 10:17 a.m. local time, and initial information suggested a child had fallen from the third level of the mall’s interior to the first level.

Additional information from witnesses indicated the 5-year-old might have been pushed or thrown, Potts said.

“The child did suffer significant injuries,” Potts said. “The child has been transported to the hospital and has been receiving care.”

According to police, the person suspected of pushing or throwing the child “took off running immediately after the incident.” The suspect, a 24-year-old man, was soon found inside the mall transit station and was taken into custody, according to WXYZ.

He’s currently at the Bloomington Police Department, Potts said, and authorities don’t believe there is any further threat to the public.

“At this time, we do not believe that there is a relationship between the child or the family of the child,” Potts said, emphasizing that police believe this to be an “isolated incident.”

The suspect’s identity was not immediately provided.

The area where the fall occurred has been closed.

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Geo quick facts: Bloomington is the fifth largest city, as of 2016 estimates, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in Hennepin County on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River. Bloomington lies 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis – Wikipedia.