Teen Arrested At London Tate Modern Gallery After Allegedly Throwing A Child Off A Balcony

A 6-year-old boy has been taken by helicopter to the hospital after reports say he fell from a 10th floor platform at the Tate Modern museum in London.

A 17-year-old has been arrested for attempted murder after allegedly pushing the child from a ten-story viewing platform, The Daily Mail reported.

The boy landed on the 5th floor roof and emergency services were called. The gallery, located on the south bank of the Thames River, was put on lockdown with nobody allowed in or out during the investigation.

A witness stated that people were screaming when the boy landed on the roof below.

“I heard the impact and then… from above a woman screamed ‘He’s my son! He’s my son!’ I went inside because the screaming was horrific, the boy didn’t make any noise but the people from the viewing platform were screaming.”

Tweets from those locked inside the Tate Modern indicated that many patrons didn’t know why the building was on lockdown. A spokesman from the London Metropolitan Police confirmed what had happened on Sunday at the gallery.

“Officers are in vicinity of Tate Modern following an incident this afternoon. A child fell from height and is being taken to hospital by London’s Air Ambulance. We await an update on his condition. Teenager has been arrested in connection with the incident.”

Teenager arrested after boy thrown from London’s Tate Modern gallery https://t.co/8x90AHSNRi

— Jen (@Jmadams03) August 4, 2019

The viewing platform offers a 360-degree view of the London skyline from which visitors can see the Thames and St Paul’s Cathedral. The view is captured as far as Canary Wharf and Wembley Stadium.

CNN reported that there is no indication that the victim and the 17-year-old boy knew each other. The police said that the six-year-old is in critical condition.

London Ambulance confirmed they received their first call at 2:40 p.m. local time.

“We sent two ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a medic in a response car and an advanced paramedic to the scene. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance and our Hazardous Area Response Team.”

Nancy Barnfield from Manchester stated that she was at the gallery with her two sons when she heard the loud noise. At that point, she found out the child had landed below.

She added that there was a commotion as the crowd restrained the man who allegedly pushed the boy. According to Barnfield, the suspect was cool and calm and didn’t fight back as the crowd held him while waiting for the police to arrive.

Police confirm that a number of people on the platform have given witness statements.