A man involved in a hatchet attack in a Manhattan Lower East Side McDonald’s spoke to ABC7 Eyewitness News about the occurrence and why he reacted the way he did.
31-year-old Michael Palacios said he has no regrets about the incident; however, he revealed that he did not intend to hurt anyone. “The most important thing is not to be afraid to defend yourself,” he said.
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“My intentions were not to hurt anyone. My intentions were not to put anyone into the hospital or dice anybody up. The reason why I pulled out the hatchet was because—’Okay, I am going to get back at those guys, but I am going to make sure that they don’t jump me again.’”
He stated that he had no interest in pressing charges against the men. However, he added, “I hope that fear that they felt that night is enough to never assault anyone else again.”
Palacios was arrested and charged with menacing, criminal mischief and other charges after the video of the incident quickly went viral.
Just before 2:30 a.m. on Friday, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said three unidentified men got into the scuffle with Palacios, ultimately jumping him.
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The 31-year-old messenger said things went bad after a security guard ignored his restroom request. Palacios admitted that he was intoxicated during the incident.
In response to being beaten by three men in the viral video, Palacios pulled out the axe from his bag and started to smash tables and glass.
According to the New York Post, an eyewitness to the altercation said it was, in fact, Palacios allegedly being rejected by a woman at the restaurant that started the incident and not him needing to use the restroom.
Ruben G, an Uber Eats deliveryman, said Palacios got upset after the woman refused to talk to him. “Basically, he got into an argument with a girl, and then the girl rejected him. She didn’t want to talk to him. He kept going at her.”
It is unclear whether the NYPD is actively searching for the three unidentified men.
You can watch Michael Palacios’ interview with ABC 7 News below :
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