Mall of America settles lawsuit with family of boy, 5, thrown over balcony

The Mall of America has confidentially settled a lawsuit with the family of a five-year-old boy who was tossed off a third-floor balcony by a man who claimed he was ‘looking for someone to kill’. 

Landen Hoffman, now eight, was five years old when the man with a history of causing a disturbance at the mall threw him off a balcony – 40-feet to the ground – at the shopping center in Bloomington, Minnesota in April 2019.

The child suffered severe head trauma and multiple broken bones.

Emmanuel Aranda, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the attack on the boy.

Aranda, who had been banned from the mall in two other instances, told investigators he committed that horrific act after ‘a woman rejected his advances.’

As part of the settlement, the Mall of America has promised to toughen its trespassing policies. 

Landen Hoffman, now eight, was five years old when  when a man with a history of causing disturbances at the mall threw him off a balcony – 40 feet to the ground – at the shopping center in Bloomington, Minnesota. The youngster suffered severe head trauma and multiple broken bones

Emmanuel Aranda pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the heinous attack. Aranda (pictured) listens as Judge Jeannice Reding hands out the Hennepin County Government Center on June 3, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota 

The family alleged in a lawsuit filed last year that mall security should have prevented Aranda from ‘prowling’ at the building without an officer following him closely. The lawsuit alleged that the mall and its security detail knew about previous ‘violent, aggressive, and erratic’ behavior that Aranda had displayed at the shopping center.

In a joint statement announcing the settlement, the mall and the family said they will work together on policy changes to prevent similar incidents.

‘Mall of America and the family have agreed to work together with a focus on safety, and already are jointly pursuing policy changes to existing trespass limits for violent criminals so as to give greater ability to preclude such persons from their premises,’ the statement said.

The lawsuit sought unspecified damages. At the time it was filed, an attorney for the family said the boy had already incurred more than $1.7 million in medical expenses. Landen’s parents said on their GoFundMe page in 2019 that Landen had more than 15 medical procedures, including surgeries for two broken arms and a broken leg, facial and skull fractures and removal of his spleen.

‘The boy’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous and the focus remains on his health and wellbeing, which includes privacy during this time,’ Monday’s statement added. ‘The Mall and the family will ask that any resulting change be named in honor of the young boy.’

Additional details of the settlement were not released by the boy’s family or the mall.

Family and friends of Hoffmann went to social media to send their prayers and love for the boy

A GoFundMe raised nearly $300,000 exceeding their initial amount of $250,000

The boy’s family created a GoFundMe that raised nearly $300,000 exceeding their initial amount of $250,000.

 On the site they posted their son’s progress.

‘The power of prayer is simply amazing. We all have been extremely humbled by the outpouring of support and prayers from everyone one,’ the statement said.

‘Thank you for showing us there is so much good not only in our community but across the globe. Condition is again similar to previous days, another peaceful night of sleep – small steps towards the healing process. Each new day is a good day.