Man arrested after child possibly pushed off Mall of America balcony

Police in Minnesota say they’ve arrested a 24-year-old man in an incident in which a child may have been pushed or thrown from a balcony at the Mall of America.

Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey Potts says witnesses told police that the child may have fallen from the mall’s third level to the first floor on Friday morning. Potts says officers gave first aid but the 5-year-old child suffered “significant injuries” and had been taken to a hospital.

Potts says the suspect took off running right after the incident but was quickly found and arrested at the mall.

He says 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 a possible motive.

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12:46 p.m.

Police in Minnesota say they’re investigating an incident at the Mall of America in which a child was reportedly thrown from a third-floor balcony.

Police in Bloomington tweeted that a 5-year-old child suffered injuries and was being treated at a hospital Friday. Police didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking details about the incident.

The Star Tribune reports that the child was being treated at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.