Axe-Wielding Man Explains Actions After Incident at McDonald’s, Says ‘Intention Wasn’t to Hurt Anyone’

The man who was arrested for swinging an axe at customers in a New York City McDonald’s last weekend is speaking out about the viral incident.

In an interview with ABC7 Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Michael Palacios admitted that he has no regrets about his actions, though he had no intention of hurting anyone. 

“The most important thing is not to be afraid to defend yourself,” he explained. “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.’”

A video of the incident circulated social media over the weekend, which showed Palacios removing an axe from his backpack during a dispute with another customer at the Delancey Street fast food joint. According to police, Palacios started swinging the axe, breaking tables and shattering glass, as he threatened customers inside McDonald’s.

Palacios was arrested Friday morning, and was arraigned on fourth-degree criminal mischief and weapons charges. Hours later, he was released under New York’s lenient criminal justice reforms.

While speaking with the New York Post this week, Palacios once again defended his actions, maintaining that he’s “not unhinged.” 

“I’m not psychotic,” he said. “I just did what anybody would do when being pummeled. What would you do? Take out your phone and call 911?”

Watch Palacios’ full interview up top.