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On Saturday, September 17, 2022, a video of an attack at a local McDonald's outlet in New York City surfaced on the internet, and promptly went viral. The man in the video, identified by the New York Police Department as Michael Palacios, went on a rampage inside the eatery with an ax after a verbal altercation got out of hand.
The 31-year-old suspect from the Bronx got into a dispute with three other men at around 2:25 am. The dispute, which started off as verbal, soon escalated into a physical one. Not long after, Palacios casually took out an ax from his backpack and started threatening other people present at the McDonald's outlet.
In a video filmed by a witness, the ax-wielding Palacios can be seen wreaking havoc inside a Delancey Street McDonald's outlet, terrorizing patrons and causing massive property damage. He even approached a frightened woman with the ax still in hand and said:
"Don’t be afraid of me, be afraid of him!"
Trigger warning: The following video is graphic in nature. The viewer's discretion is advised.
Several onlookers asked him to calm down. According to police, no one present at the McDonald's establishment was injured in the sudden violent outburst.
TikTok user Shakes McGoo, who also witnessed the mayhem, commented:
"NYC always good for some chaotic mayhem. He didn’t hurt anybody, but could have been ugly!"
An NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital:
"The suspect removed an ax from his backpack and menaced the unknown males. The suspect intentionally caused property damage to the establishment. The individual was taken into custody by responding officers. A search incident to a lawful arrest, an additional knife was recovered from his backpack. Victims did not report any injuries."
Palacios was arrested by the NYPD and charged with one count of criminal mischief, three counts of menacing, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
McDonald's incident "normal" in Kathy Hochul's New York
Friday's mayhem, which was inches away from being dangerous, has allowed Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin to comment on the sky-high crime rates in New York City, governed by Kathy Hochul, a Democrat. The aspiring congressman tweeted on Saturday:
"The streets have become even less safe in Kathy Hochul’s New York. That changes on my watch starting on Day ONE as New York’s next Governor!"
Data collected by the NYPD showed that although shootings and murders have been on the decline in the month of August, overall crime, including robberies and assault, has increased compared to last year, as per data released on September 6. An overall increase of 26% was seen, with felony assault cases going up by 9%.
