The Minneapolis man arrested for throwing a 5-year-old boy over a Mall of America balcony Friday told police he had gone to the mall on Thursday intending to kill an adult, but that it did not “work out,” court documents say.

He returned Friday and chose the boy instead.

Emmanuel Aranda, 24, was charged Monday with attempted premeditated first-degree murder, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. Aranda is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday. Prosecutors will be asking that bail be set at $2 million.

“This crime has shocked the community,” Freeman said. “That a child, with his mother, at a safe public area like a mall, could be violently attacked for no reason is chilling for everyone.”

FAMILY GRATEFUL FOR SUPPORT

The incident at the Bloomington mall has received national attention with many expressing their outrage on social media and offering prayers and support for the family. The boy’s name has not been officially released.

A Gofundme page set up by a family friend identifies the boy as “Landen.” The fund raised $579,947 in two days for the boy’s medical expenses.

A memorial has emerged at the scene. A Mall of America post on Twitter thanked people for the outpouring of concern.

“For those who have left gifts, flowers and messages of love at the Mall, we thank you,” the message read. “Please know we will keep these items safe and handle them according to the family’s wishes.”

The family, who has asked for privacy and declined to be interviewed released a statement Monday thanking the public for their support.

“The child is currently in critical condition and the family is beginning a long journey to recovery,” the statement read.

RANDOM ACT OF VIOLENCE

According to the criminal complaint, about 10:15 a.m. Friday, the boy and his mother were with a friend and her child outside the Rainforest Café on the mall’s third floor.

A review of video surveillance showed Aranda walking in the area and looking over the balcony several times before approaching the boy and his mother.

The mother saw Aranda, whom she had never seen before, come close to them and she asked if they were in the way and should move.

Instead, Aranda picked up the boy and threw him over the railing, the complaint states.

The child landed on the first floor near several witnesses who were described in the complaint as “distraught.” Medics indicated the boy had multiple fractured bones, including his arms and legs and was bleeding from the head and had massive head trauma.

HE PLANNED TO KILL

Aranda fled the scene. Another witness on the third floor tried to stop him. Aranda pushed the witness against a wall and kept running until police were able to capture him on the light-rail train outside the mall. Police coordinated with mall security who monitored his flight via surveillance cameras.

RELATED: Man accused of throwing boy from MOA balcony had prior incidents

When police confronted Aranda, he was calm and did not question why he was being placed under arrest.

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‘Suspicious’ fire in Brooklyn Center destroys home’s garage, large Trump election sign He told police he knew what he was planning to do was wrong. He said he had formed a plan to kill someone at the mall Thursday. He had planned to kill an adult, because “they usually stand near the balcony,” the complaint said.

Aranda said he’d been going to the mall for years, had tried to speak to women there and they had rejected him. He said that rejection made him lash out and act aggressively.

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Aranda was in trouble in Chicago before he came to Minnesota. Cook County court filings reveal a pattern of angry outbursts, some resulting in violence.

On Aug. 24, 2014, Aranda was unable to pay his bill at the Golden Nugget Restaurant on West Lawrence Avenue in Chicago. He was using the restaurant’s phone to find out why his card wasn’t working. When the employee told him they would call the police if he didn’t pay his bill, the complaint says he became enraged and struck the girl in the head with the telephone.

When a customer intervened, Aranda struck him with a plate and pulled out a five-inch knife and began to chase the customer threatening to stab him. Aranda then fled the scene, but was apprehended by police.

The complaint states Aranda had a similar incident at another Golden Nugget Restaurant the day before where he threatened to slit the throat of the manager.

Aranda was charged and convicted with assault, theft and battery.

On Sept. 6, 2014, he was at a Target store in Evanston, Ill. where he tried to steal a $250 phone. Aranda was charged and convicted with theft but did not return for his court date, so a warrant was issued for his arrest.

On April 1, 2015, Aranda was attempting to use a ticket kiosk at a Greyhound bus station in Chicago. When service agents tried to help him, he started yelling and using profanity. When he was approached by security, he became irate, the complaint states.

He was asked to leave and refused, so the police were called. He was arrested and removed from the premises.

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Two men face felony charges in Bloomington home invasion In 2015, Aranda was temporarily banned from the Mall of America for throwing water in a woman’s face and destroying property. He was arrested in October of 2015 and convicted with obstructing legal process, fifth degree assault and trespassing.

If Aranda is convicted of the most-recent charges, prosecutors intend to pursue a longer sentence based on the aggravating factors of particular cruelty, the vulnerability of the boy and committing the violent act in front of other children and the boy’s mother.