He Was Tossed Over Mall of America Balcony. Now, a Settlement

UPDATE Dec 6, 2022 11:14 AM CST

The family of the young boy thrown over a balcony at Minnesota's Mall of America in 2019 has reached a settlement with the mall, reports NBC News. The boy, Landen, was just 5 when Emmanuel Aranda, 24, threw him almost 40 feet down to the ground. In a lawsuit Landen's family filed after the attack, they alleged that mall security, who they say knew about Aranda's past "violent, aggressive, and erratic" behavior, should've kept Aranda from "prowling." Although the recovery for Landen—who suffered "extensive" injuries, per the suit—has been "nothing short of miraculous," a statement from his family's legal team says they want the mall to toughen its trespassing policies, which the mall has agreed to, per CBS News. It's not clear what the other terms of the settlement are. Aranda, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder, is serving a 19-year sentence.

Nov 24, 2019 6:11 AM CST

The boy who somehow survived being thrown from a third-story balcony in April at the Mall of America is "is now walking PERFECTLY with even legs AMEN," his family writes on his GoFundMe page. The 5-year-old, named only as Landen, "loves being back to school and going to kindergarten at the same school his twin brother and sister go to," the family wrote Friday. "He's a strong, happy boy. When his mommy asks him if she can look at his wound or asks how he's doing, he always responds with 'Mom, I'm healed, you don't need to ask me anymore.'" Landen came home from the hospital in August and CNN reports that at the time he sported "limp, uneven legs from a broken femur," as well as an open wound on his stomach. Twenty-four-year-old Emmanuel Aranda is serving a 19-year sentence for throwing Landen randomly from a balcony.