On Friday evening in Manhattan, the man who went on an ax-wielding rampage at a Lower East Side McDonald’s last year was injured by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle.
Michael Palacios was riding his cargo bike up Fifth Avenue with his dog Simba when, according to surveillance footage provided to Instagram by Palacios, an SUV driver struck them from behind and then drove away.
The 32-year-old bike messenger claimed he insulted the driver’s driving just before 4:40 p.m. near East 50th Street, where he was struck by the vehicle.
“What occurred? I told a lousy driver he drives like s–t… “As I moved forward, he rear-ended me,” Palacios stated in the video’s caption.
The distressing clip shows the SUV driving through an intersection without slowing down and crashing into the back of Palacios’ bicycle.
Both Palacios and his dog Simba tumbled off the front of the bicycle before both stood up. The vehicle merely stops after striking them and waits for Palacios to get out of the road before accelerating away, narrowly missing Simba who was walking towards his owner, as evidenced by the surveillance tape.
“We do not deserve this,” wrote Palacios.
Friday at the same spot, the NYPD acknowledged a complaint of a hit-and-run involving a cyclist, but they were unable to confirm that the victim was Palacios since the department does not identify non-fatal victims.
The NYPD acknowledged the complaint of the hit-and-run near 50th Street on January 31, 2023, but they were unable to confirm if it involved Palacios.
The victim sustained minor leg injuries and was treated at the scene, according to authorities.
Palacios stated that his cargo bicycle absorbed the majority of the crash and posted an Instagram snapshot of the broken bicycle.
“The great thing about cargo bikes is that they absorb 90 percent of the impact,” he added, adding that Simba was not tethered to the bike, so he could move to safety.
Since then, he has created a GoFundMe campaign to seek funds for a new cargo bike, which had raised over $2,000 of its $5,000 target by Wednesday morning.
Dispute-related footage from the previous year shows Michael Palacios destroying a McDonald’s on Delancey.
In September of last year, Palacios became viral after he was captured on camera destroying a Delancey McDonald’s following a confrontation with three customers at the fast food business.
Following the incident, he was detained and charged with criminal mischief, three counts of menacing, and two charges of criminal possession of a firearm.
A few days later, Palacios told The Post that he is not “unhinged” and that he was merely defending himself against the three men, adding that he never swung the ax at people, only property.
Friday’s hit-and-run driver remained at large.
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