An 18-year-old Maple Grove man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly pushed an 8-year-old boy off a waterslide in Apple Valley, causing him to fall 31 feet to the ground, police said.
The man is expected to face criminal assault charges, officials said. The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects before they are charged.
The man and the boy, whose name was not released, were waiting in line to ride down a waterslide at the Apple Valley Aquatic Center on Tuesday afternoon. They did not know each other and had not talked while in line, according to police and witnesses.
Once they reached the top of the slide platform, the man picked up the boy and pushed him over the railing, according to police. The boy fell 31 feet to the ground.
The boy was conscious and breathing when police arrived around 1:35 p.m. He was taken to a hospital, where he is in stable condition, according to police.
"He's had a number of broken bones and will have to go through a number of surgeries," Apple Valley Police Capt. Nick Francis said.
Police believe the man may be developmentally delayed, Francis said.
"When we spoke with him, he was able to tell us that he knew what he did, he knew what he did was wrong, he knew what he did was going to hurt someone," he said.
Thousands of visitors use the Aquatic Center each season, which runs from June through August. "It's been open for 20 years, and this is the first incident where anything close to this has happened," Francis said.
The Aquatic Center was closed for the rest of the day Tuesday.
Miguel Otárola • 612-673-4753
![4th of July holiday weekend gets a D+ for persistent waves of showers, T-storms](https://arc-vid.stimg.co/07-02-2024/t_281c697c01b242c4ab3182554b9176ec_name_file_1920x1080_5400_v4_.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Thunderstorms expected to affect July 4th festivities in southern Minnesota
![Gov. Tim Walz addressed flooding at the Rapidan Dam in Mankato on Tuesday, July 2, and responded to questions about a White House meeting.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/R7T4K7BPS5H4BAXNDMATAMWZSA.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Walz and other Democratic governors meeting at White House following Biden's debate performance
![Police arrive ahead of the shutdown of Camp Nenookaasi in Minneapolis in January.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KIJMVX7J2ZBAFIHQGOPLIVBMMA.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Experts working to end homelessness in Minnesota say high court ruling will make jobs harder
![Leonard Peltier's next opportunity for parole is set for June 2039, his attorney said.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/XHKJJE6WVRA5FH65XS5CYQ57NA.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Leonard Peltier's parole denied in 1975 murder of 2 FBI agents
![The St. Anthony Main Theatre and nearby restaurant.bestmn2012 bestmn2012](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ARZRFVW57DUQD6ONNW4OU6MYVU.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)