The man who smashed into a Manhattan McDonald’s with an ax and was released without bail has been arrested – once again – for allegedly spraypainting graffiti and stealing a bike in Brooklyn.
Michael Palacios, 31, of the Bronx, was arrested after trying to flee from police when they caught him spraying graffiti on Sunday, the New York Post reports.
Palacios, who made headlines last month for his axe-wielding rampage in Manhattan, allegedly stole a $3,500 bike outside a local coffee shop at 69 Second Avenue to try to escape before police took him into custody.
Despite his repeated crimes in the city, Palacios was once again released without bail as the Big Apple continues to grapple with rising crime rates.
Michael Palacios, 31, of the Bronx, was arrested for spray painting graffiti and stealing a $3,500 bike just a month after his ax killing spree at McDonalds
Despite his repeated offenses, Palacios, who is often pictured riding his bike on his social media, was once again released without bail
After a confrontation at the restaurant, Palacios pulled an ax to scare off the men he was fighting before using it to scare other customers
Palacios then walked out with his ax and bike – as if nothing had happened. When police arrested him on Sunday, he tried to run away on a stolen bike
On September 16, Palacios was filmed threatening customers at McDonald’s on Delancey Street after he was allegedly rebuffed by a young woman.
Footage of the ensuing frenzy showed Palacios threatening customers while wielding the axe, smashing panes of glass and intimidating onlookers after a verbal disagreement that quickly turned physical.
“Basically, he was fighting with a girl, and then the girl rejected him,” Ruben G, an Uber Eats delivery man who witnessed the fight, told the New York Post on Sunday.
“She didn’t want to talk to him,” Ruben revealed – adding that the woman’s disinterest didn’t stop the man.
“He kept attacking her,” said the delivery man. “That’s where the guys she was dating came in.”
The case described by Ruben roughly describes the moment the widely circulated footage begins, in which several young men attack the suspect and push him into a garbage can.
The individuals continue to punch Palacios, as the extremely graphic footage shows, who remains surprisingly unfazed by the barrage of punches.
The grinning Palacios appears to accept the hits in a show of strength and superiority, eventually becoming enraged and pulling the ax out of a pouch he was carrying.
At this point, the other guests apologized – but Palacios indignantly rushes forward, brandishing the gun at them while threatening other guests.
“They started arguing. It all led to that,” Ruben recalled, adding that the suspect asked for the young woman’s phone number.
In footage of the incident, a young woman who appeared to be part of the group of customers appeared to stop the budding argument, which continued to escalate until police were called.
An argument at a New York McDonald’s turned physical as the three men punched and punched Palacios, who appeared unaffected by the attack
The fight took a different turn, however, when video on social media shows the axe-wielding man rampaging inside a McDonald’s on Delancey Street on the Lower East Side
In footage of the incident, a young woman who appeared to be part of the group of customers appeared to stop the budding argument, which continued to escalate until police were called. It is not clear if the woman is the same person the delivery man was referring to
Palacios throws the ax at several of the restaurant’s tables, which are smashed into tiny pieces.
He also slams the ax against a pane of glass, which instantly shatters on impact, before cornering one of his previous attackers, who begs for mercy while crouching against a wall.
He then knocks one of the men he was fighting off his chair – while threatening other frightened guests and at one point yelling, “Don’t be afraid of me, fear him!”
After the killing spree, Palacios fled the scene on his bicycle but was apprehended by police on nearby Ludlow Street a short time later, the driver said. Police were able to locate him in part due to widely circulated footage of the incident.
Palacios, who was on the street hours after his arrest, faces charges of criminal mischief, threats and criminal possession of weapons.
For his latest crime, Palacios was charged with grand larceny, double count mischief, possession of stolen property, fabrication of graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments.
Overall, violent crime in the Big Apple is up 33.6 percent from a year earlier
Palacio was released without bail for both arrests, a pattern typical of New York City’s high crime rate.
In the Big Apple, police reported 378 homicides, down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but overall crime is up 32.68 percent.
New York City has also seen a rise in rape cases from 1,137 cases last year to 1,249 so far this year, an increase of nearly 10 percent.
Robberies are also up 36.5 percent, and muggings and burglaries are up 15.9 and 31.5 percent, respectively.