MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis Police are investigating what they call the hanging of a child at a day care on the city's near south side.
Assistant Police Chief Kris Arneson says the situation started around 9:43 a.m. when officers responded to reports that a day care provider hanged a 16-month-old boy inside a home on the 2700 block of Humboldt Avenue South. A parent dropping off their own child at the day care was able to rescue the toddler and take him from the home to safety.
Arneson says the little boy is at the hospital and is expected to be OK.
The female suspect then fled the daycare in a gold minivan, first striking a pedestrian near the intersection of 28th and Grand around 9:57 a.m. That man was dragged for a significant distance, suffering broken bones and abrasions. He was taken to HCMC where authorities say he is expected to survive.
Arneson says the suspect sped away from the scene, turning north onto Park Avenue where she struck a bicyclist near 28th. The male victim was taken to HCMC with a broken leg.
The suspect drove north on Park Avenue, striking a number of vehicles before bailing out of the van and attempting to jump off the Park Avenue bridge. By the time police arrived, a number of citizens had tackled the suspect and were wrestling with her on the ground. Officers joined in the fray, and took her into custody. Police say she will be booked into the Hennepin County Jail when she is released from the hospital.
Arneson says the day care provider was taken to a hospital where she is under observation. Six investigators will work the case, including those from the department's crimes against children unit.
