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Teen Allegedly Throws 6-Year-Old Boy From 10th Floor Viewing Platform At London Museum
The boy sustained serious injuries after plummeting from the 10th to the 5th floors at London's famous Tate Modern. Authorities say there doesn't appear to be a connection between the victim and his alleged attacker.
A teenager in the United Kingdom has been arrested after allegedly throwing a 6-year-old boy from the 10th floor of London’s prestigious Tate Modern art gallery on Sunday, according to The New York Post.
The 17-year-old, who has not been named, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, according to authorities. The child, who has also not been named, landed on the fifth floor of the gallery after he was reportedly tossed from the 10th floor viewing platform at roughly 2:40 p.m.
Authorities said on Monday that the 6-year-old was in "critical but stable condition,” according to CNN. They also said that the boy was not known to the teenager.
"We sent two ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a medic in a response car and an advanced paramedic to the scene,” said The London Ambulance in a statement to CNN.
“We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team.”
The Telegraph also reported that witnesses heard the boy’s mother screaming, “My son, my son!”
“She sounded terrified,” Nancy Barnfield, 47, said, according to the British newspaper.
“I went inside because the screaming was horrific,” another witness, who was not named, said. “The boy didn’t make any noise but the people from the viewing platform were screaming.”
Authorities said that the teen “remained with members of the public on the 10th floor viewing platform.”
Tate Modern art gallery was under lockdown while police responded to the situation and was closed for the remainder of the afternoon. Each year, tourists flock to the museum by the millions. In 2018, the museum drew 5.9 million people, and was reportedly the most visited tourist location in the U.K.
The apparent randomness of the incident bears some resemblance to a case in the U.S., in which 24-year-old Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda tossed a 5-year-old boy from a third-floor balcony in April. The boy survived but remained hospitalized in intensive care for months. Aranda pleaded guilty to attempted premeditated murder and was sentenced to 19 years.
