How can one man be so lucky? Michael Palacios’ case is a perfect example of the “capture and recapture” method. Last month, he was arrested for terrorizing people with an axe at a McDonald’s in New York City and was released without bail. Yet again, he was caught on the wrong side of the law and accused of stealing a bike, evading police, and graffiti. Nonetheless, he was released without bail for the second time.
Michael Palacios, 31, ran away from police officers who started approaching him after seeing him spraying graffiti in Brooklyn. As he attempted to escape authorities, he stole a bike from a nearby cafe and led officers on a chase around the neighborhood before finally being arrested.
According to the New York City police, the bike, which was worth $3,500, got destroyed during the chase. Authorities said they found the 31-year-old with graffiti paraphernalia and suspect he was also responsible for a prior graffiti incident in Queens, New York, earlier this year.
Police charged Palacios with criminal mischief, grand theft, making graffiti, possession of stolen property, and possession of graffiti instruments.
The arrest comes barely a month after the man was involved in another more serious incident at a McDonald’s restaurant on Delancey Street in Manhattan. In September, Palacios was videotaped as he lashed out at people enjoying their food. He was arguing with a group of guys when he suddenly removed an axe he was carrying in his backpack and started smashing tables and glass walls while yelling at patrons and terrorizing everyone at the restaurant.
At the beginning of the viral video, Palacios argued for a short while with the group, and when the altercation got physical, he retreated and kept quiet with a smirk. When the men finished talking to him, he calmly took his backpack from his back and took an axe from the bag.
He then started smashing tables, causing property damage in the restaurant and threatening the three men, and assaulting one of them by slapping him across the face.
He was later arrested by police and charged with criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing.
As if that wasn’t enough to lock him up, Palacios was released without bond, and while speaking to the New York Post, he said that he was not crazy or unhinged and showed utmost composure during the incident.
He said that he did what any “reasonable” person in his situation would have done after being attacked by three men, reiterating that he was not psychotic.
According to Palacios, everybody saying he should have spent more hours in jail was wrong as he had done his time, 18 hours, and that was enough. He added that he would not make the incident about race.
Some politicians did not like how the situation panned out. Lee Zeldin, a Republican vying for the New York governor position, said that the situation highlighted the flaws in New York’s bail reform laws, tweeting that the city would reclaim its streets after he wins the election on November 8.
