Charges: Man pushed 8-year-old boy off waterslide

Updated 1:50 p.m. | Posted 11:47 a.m.

A Minnesota man is facing a criminal assault charge after he was accused of pushing an 8-year-old boy off the top of a waterslide.

Authorities say the boy fell nearly 32 feet to the concrete below and suffered multiple fractures at the Apple Valley Aquatic Center on Tuesday.

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Eighteen-year-old Roman Adams is charged with felony third-degree assault. He's been released from jail ahead of a court appearance next month.

A criminal complaint says Adams and the boy were waiting in line to ride down the waterslide and that once they reached the top platform, Adams picked up the boy and pushed him over the railing.

Apple Valley Capt. Nick Francis says police believe the man may be developmentally delayed but knew his actions would harm the boy.

"It was his statement that the line was moving too slow and that's why he decided to throw the individual over the side of the platform," Francis told MPR News. "Through our investigation we learned he was there with a personal care attendant and the suspect is understood to have a developmental disability and so that may have played into the reasoning as to why this took place."

Francis said the facility policies and procedures will get be reviewed in the wake of what happened, but no system is perfect.

"We get approximately 70,000 people through that water park every season. It's been open for 20 years and we've never had any incident close to this level of magnitude happening," he said. "So, there will definitely be a review. But ... there really aren't always mechanical devices or safety measures that can be put into place."

Investigators still don't have all the information they need yet on the exact nature of any cognitive disability Adams might have. Francis said if Adams is shown to have such a disability, that will be taken into account.

Adams' next court appearance is next month.

The injured boy has broken bones throughout his body, though "so far, it doesn't appear like there's any other major internal injuries, no major head injuries. What we've been told so far is that it's just a lot of broken bones," said Francis.

"It's been kind of a traumatic experience for the community," he added. "There was a lot of kids there, a lot of people present."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.