Well-wishers have up to now donated over $330,000 (£252k) to the family of the five-year-old boy who was allegedly thrown from a third-floor balcony in the Mall of America by a complete stranger. It has been reported that Landen Hoffmann from Woodbury, Minnesota, was tossed to the marble ground beneath the balcony on Friday (12 April) as his mum screamed: "Oh my God, my baby someone threw him over the edge."A fundraising page was set up to help the family with their hospital costs which have now racked up over $330,000 and is rising by the minute.
In just 18 hours, there have been 9,700 people that have donated to the page which describes Landen as the 'sweetest kindest five-year-old you will ever meet'.The statement continues: "His soul is soft and gentle and instantly brings a smile to everybody he meets. He is full of energy and life and enjoys soccer, playing with friends and family and playing hockey with his brother and sister."He was enjoying a day at the Mall of America with his mom and friend on Friday morning when a stranger maliciously grabbed him and threw him over the 3rd-floor balcony for no apparent reason."The family doesn't know him and are completely clueless as to why this monster would target their family with this heinous act of violence."
Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, was last night charged with attempted murder after Bloomington Police tracked him down. In a statement, the police force said: "At this time the suspect does not appear to be known to the victim or to the victim's family."Jeff Potts, the police chief for Bloomington Police Department said: "First of all, most importantly, the child that fell is still alive. He's still receiving care. The family is requesting privacy, I think that we just want to acknowledge that this is a horrific situation. The family and this child are in our thoughts and prayers."He went on: "The suspect was seen fleeing the scene immediately after the incident happened, he was located very quickly and he was arrested and brought to The Bloomington Police Department. He has been cooperative with our detectives."Mr Potts went on to explain how Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda has previously been arrested at the Mall of America. He said: "We do have prior contacts with this individual. One of them in July [2015], that also occurred at the Mall of America, he was seen throwing an object off one of the floors the third level. When the officers tried to speak to him he was not cooperative."The Mall of America issued a statement on Friday, saying: "This was a senseless act and words cannot truly express our profound shock and sadness."Our immediate and only concern is for the well-being of the family and the child, as well as for any individuals who may have witnessed the incident."We have counselling services available for anyone who may need assistance. We know that this is a concerning event for all of us."As the Bloomington Police Department continues to investigate how and why this isolated incident happened, we will provide our full cooperation."