Road-rage suspect uses hatchet to repeatedly smash windows of crashed car — and the act is ​caught on cellphone video



Cellphone video caught the moment when a road-rage suspect repeatedly smashed the windows of a crashed car in Boston — and the unhinged fellow carried out the act with a hatchet, of all things.

Police said the aggravated assault took place just after 11:40 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Commonwealth Avenue in the city's Brighton neighborhood.

The victim added that he felt disoriented after the crash but recalled that the suspect approached him and began smashing his vehicle windows with a hammer or axe.

Police said the suspect reportedly chased the victim in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, causing the victim to crash. Police said the suspect then exited a gray pickup truck, assaulted the victim, and used a hatchet to break the windows and windshield of the victim's vehicle after the victim fled.

You can view video here of the hatchet attack.

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Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Police said the suspect fled on Babcock Street in the direction of Brookline.

What else do we know?

According to WBTS-TV, a preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was driving a Toyota Prius south on Commonwealth at a high rate of speed, veered to the right, jumped the median separating the road from the bicycle lanes, and crashed into a tree on the sidewalk.

Police told the station the Prius sustained extensive damage and that the airbags had deployed.

The Prius driver told police that the pickup truck driver chased and forced him off the road, WBTS reported.

The victim added that he felt disoriented after the crash but recalled that the suspect approached him and began smashing his vehicle windows with a hammer or axe, the station said, adding that the suspect also swung the hatchet at him and chased him down the street for a short distance.

More from WTBS:

Witnesses told police they saw the suspect chasing the victim along the sidewalk armed with an axe. One witness showed police clear cellphone video showing the suspect smashing the victim's vehicle repeatedly with a small hatchet.

The victim suffered a hand injury in the crash and was treated at the scene but refused transport to a hospital.

Boston police on Sunday released photos of the alleged suspect and asked the public for help in identifying him, the station said.

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Image source: Boston Police Department

Blaze News on Monday afternoon spoke to an employee of a business near the location of the incident, and the employee — who wished to remain anonymous — said things were back to normal, except for some pieces of broken glass on the ground and reporters and TV cameras roaming in the area.

Police said the suspect was described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, with a slight build, brown medium-length hair, and a short beard. The suspect was wearing a white T-shirt with a plain front and lettering on the back as well as blue jeans and brown sneakers, police said.

Police said they are actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident, and those with information are strongly urged to contact detectives at 617-343-4256. Community members who wish to provide anonymous information can call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS, text “TIP” to CRIME (27463), or visit Boston Police CrimeStoppers, the department said.

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Man repeatedly stabbed by hatchet-wielding suspect decides he's had enough. Gym members provide added muscle.



A man was stabbed several times Tuesday when trying to get to his car outside a shopping center in Corona, California. When walked at knifepoint into a Planet Fitness, the victim decided to bring his hatchet-wielding captor back down to earth — and gym members proved more than happy to assist.

According to the Corona Police Department, 30-year-old Ronald Vikash Chand of Santa Ana allegedly approached a 41-year-old man around 9:20 a.m. in the parking lot outside a Planet Fitness at 3685 Grand Oaks.

KABC-TV reported that the victim began recording the suspect, having observed him behaving erratically. This apparently enraged Chand, who allegedly blocked the victim's car with his own and smashed in its window with a hatchet.

The attacker proceeded to lunge at the victim with a hatchet and a knife, stabbing him several times, said police. Although blood had been spilled, the ordeal was far from over.

Chand allegedly walked his bloody victim into the lobby of the Planet Fitness at knifepoint, where he berated gym members.

In a shocking video of the incident, the suspect accuses someone of taking advantage of him before yelling, "Give me water! I need water!"

KTTV-TV reported that John Keene, a gym-goer, was among those who ultimately stepped up when the moment presented itself.

"I was on the stairclimber and I heard screaming behind me," said Keene. "At first, I thought it was an argument, so I kind of ignored it and after about a minute, it got louder, so I turned off the machine and got down to walk over there."

On closer examination, Keene saw the blades and realized this was no mere argument.

"He [the suspect] had his arm around the victim and the victim was covered in blood. Three other guys were all walking over at the same time. There were four of us," Keene told KTTV.

In the video of the incident, the suspect can be seen with a knife in his raised hand, poised to stab the victim again. However, Chand's focus temporarily shifts along with his stabbing hand as he pivots to yell at onlookers.

The victim seized upon that fleeting distraction, yanking the hatchet to one side and engulfing the suspect in a tackle. Under the victim's weight, the 145-pound attacker folded to the ground like cardboard.

Although the victim initially managed to overwhelm his attacker, Chand allegedly continued lashing out, prompting Keene and others to intervene.

"We all just bounced on him and disarmed him and held him down for the police. It kinda happened fast," said Keene.

"I got him on his back and I held his arm down so Steve could take the knife from him," added the Good Samaritan. "And then there was hatchet there too and we handed it to somebody else, and they took it away from the scene."

"I wasn't scared at that moment. I felt the adrenaline after, but because the victim acted, we didn't have time to decide or think about it. I was involved before I thought about it," added Keene.

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Rachele Wolfe witnessed the bloody scene. She told KTTV, "It was terrifying. I was afraid. I didn't know what was going to happen. It seems like a safe place. You come, you work out, you leave, but it just goes to show you, you're not safe anywhere."

The victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his upper body and was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. CPD noted that he has since been released.
Chand was similarly taken to hospital with minor injuries, but then booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center.
Chand has been charged with attempted murder and two misdemeanor counts of assault with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily injury. His bail was set at $1,000,000.

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Man accused of smashing up an NYC McDonald's with an ax released without bail: 'My intentions were not to hurt anyone'



The man who allegedly caused thousands of dollars in damage and terrorized several late-night patrons at a New York City McDonald's has been released without bail.

According to the criminal complaint, Michael Palacios, 31, used an ax to smash up various surfaces and two panes of glass in a Lower East Side McDonald's around 2:30 a.m. local time Friday morning.

A video of the incident, which has since gone viral, indicates that Palacios became frustrated when a woman there "rejected" his advances. The man who filmed the video, Uber Eats deliveryman Ruben G, told the New York Post, "So, 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."

As Palacios continued to pester the woman, several men stood up to intervene on her behalf. The men attempted to restrain Palacios, who then turned his aggression towards them. The men then punched him in the head a few times in retaliation, though Palacios himself appeared unaffected by the assault. Once the men backed off, Palacios reached into his backpack, took out what he called a "tomahawk," and began smashing a couple tables, including the one at which the unidentified woman he had targeted earlier was sitting.

He also smashed a glass partition and punched one of the men in the head. Palacios, a messenger, then retrieved his bike and rode away. Police apprehended him soon after.



"The suspect intentionally caused property damage to the establishment," a police spokesperson said. "The individual was taken into custody by responding officers. [During a] search incident to a lawful arrest, an additional knife was recovered from his backpack. Victims did not report any injuries."

Prosecutors have charged Palacios with fourth-degree criminal mischief and possession of weapons, neither of which qualify for bail in New York state, where criminal justice laws are lax.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin has condemned the criminal justice reform measures which released Palacios back to the street without bail.

"This guy hacked up tables and walls at a McDonald’s, swung his hatchet wildly at customers, and got released before his fries got cold," Zeldin quipped. "Cashless bail in New York must be repealed ASAP!"

Palacios has since spoken with reporters to give his version of events.

"My intentions were not to hurt anyone," Palacios said. "My intentions were not to put anyone in the hospital or dice anybody up.

"The reason why I pulled out the hatchet was, ‘Ok, I’m gonna get back at these guys,'" Palacios continued. "'I’m gonna make sure that they don’t jump me again.'"

Palacios admitted that he had been drinking earlier that evening, and that a security guard at the McDonald's wouldn't let him use the restroom.

He said he does not want to see the other men involved in the altercation charged with a crime.

"You don’t need to be in jail for a lesson," he said. "I hope the fear they felt that night is enough to never assault someone again."