Photo: Facebook
Landen Hoffman was thrown from a balcony at the Mall of America. What happened?
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Jun 04, 2019
In a tragedy that’s the stuff of nightmares, a five-year-old boy was throw over the third floor balcony at Minnesota’s Mall of America over the weekend. Landen Hoffman was at the mall with his mother and a friend when a strange man threw him off the railing and he fell nearly 40 feet, sustaining life threatening injuries. Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda has been charged with attempted first degree murder in the case. He was caught and admitted to attempting to the kill the boy, saying he had gone to the Mall that day with the intent of killing someone. Who is Landen Hoffman and what happened? Now, the man who did it has received his sentencing. Read on for all the new details.
1. Incident
Landen’s mother told police that she was with her son, a friend and her friend’s child on the third floor of the mall near the Rainforest Café restaurant shortly after 10 a.m. when Aradna approached them. He walked close to them and she asked if he needed them to step aside. that was when he grabbed Landon and threw him over the balcony. The fall was 30 feet and Landen suffered life-threatening injuries, including broken bones and bleeding from his head. Police and first responders administered aid on the scene, before he was rushed to the hospital.
The crime was unprovoked
2. Bystander
After the incident, Aranda attempted to flee the scene. He was chased by an unknown bystander who attempted to apprehend him. Aranda then threw the person against the wall and kept running until he was apprehended by police. Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said Saturday: “We’re very appreciative of his efforts to try to intervene and help out in a very difficult situation.”
First responders helped Landon on scene.
3. Intentional
After his arrest, Aranda confessed to throwing the boy over the balcony deliberately. In the criminal complain filed against his, it says he “acknowledged repeatedly in his interview that he had planned and intended to kill someone at the mall that day and that he was aware that what he was doing was wrong.” He allegedly told police he had intended to kill an adult because they usually stand close to the balcony but instead chose Landen. He had no relationship to the boy or his family.
Aranda was captured and confessed immediately.
4. Response from the Mall of America
The Mall of America issued a statement after the incident, expressing the shock and horror that all other witnesses were feeling, saying “'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 counseling 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.”
Landon is fighting for his life.
5. Banned from the Mall
Aranda has a history of aggressive behavior while in the Mall of America dating back years. In July of 2015, he was arrested for throwing things off the upper balcony of the Mall. Later that year, he was accused of throwing drinking glasses in one of the restaurants in the Mall. The complaint about that incident says Aranda approached a woman who was waiting for a table and asked her to buy him something. The woman refused, and Aranda allegedly threw a glass of water in her face and then threw a glass of tea that struck her leg. At that time, he was ordered to leave the Mall and was placed under a a trespass notice that banned him from entering the premises for a year.
Aranda is charged with murder.
6. GoFundMe
Noah Hannaman, a family friend, started a GoFundMe for the family to help with Landon’s medical expenses. The fundraiser page says: “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.” The description goes on to describe Landon’s recovery process, saying “Landon has a very long road to recovery ahead of him. He suffered life threatening injuries, many people who fall from that distance aren’t as lucky to make it. He has many surgeries ahead in his life to try to get back to a normal life for a young, vibrant boy. We started this GoFundMe for their family to help cover the immense medical costs and rehabilitation costs for the long ahead.”
In a post on Monday, Hoffman thanked everyone for their support and said “His condition has very little change at this point, but we are hoping to get some good news back from some upcoming tests in the next few days. The family is continuing to request privacy during this time."
The fundraiser has accrued over $600,000 so far.
Ananda was in court on Tuesday where he was charged with charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder.
7. Aranda's sentencing
Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda was charged with attempted homicide. On Monday, June 3, 2019 he was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Landen's parents did not attend the sentencing but they prepared statements to be read. Landen's father wrote: “You intended evil that day, but God wants all for good. Landen, who was a nameless child to you, is not a name forgotten or unknown to God,” the boy’s father wrote. “Your act was evil and selfish. You chose to listen to the worst parts of yourself that day. You chose evil over good, and chose to take your hate and hurt out on my precious boy. You will take nothing more from us … you will not define our lives or our hearts.
Landen's mother wrote: "I want you to know I forgive you, not because what you did was OK, not because I want to, but because God wants me to,” Landen’s mother wrote. “I refuse to be full of anger and hatred. I refuse to let you let you take my joy. My sweet precious baby, my amazing gift from God is going to be OK.”
As for Landen, he is still recovering from the violent attack on him. He has a long road ahead.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.