Danny Trejo was involved in a fight that started Thursday during a July 4th parade after a water balloon was thrown in his direction.
O Machete star was a guest of honor and was traveling in a vintage convertible as part of the Sunland-Tujunga Rotary Club’s annual July 4th Parade in Sunland, California. But according to multiple reports, a spectator threw a water balloon at the convertible, bringing the parade to a screeching halt.
Video footage circulating on social media shows the 80-year-old actor getting out of his car and confronting a man. Punches were then thrown, and Trejo was knocked to the ground, sparking an all-out brawl. You can see in the video another man later identified as Mario, Trejo’s best friend, also being knocked down. Mario later appears bloodied with a massive cut on his face.
The dust eventually settled thanks to spectators who calmed the fight. It was reported that police — who were patrolling the parade nearby — arrived shortly after the fight ended. Trejo chose not to press charges.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to ABC7Throwing water balloons at the cars in the parade is something of a tradition, but it is known that water balloons are not supposed to be thrown at the prettiest cars, which apparently angered Trejo.
It’s been a rough week for Trejo. Earlier this week, the actor shared on Instagram that he lost his Chihuahua, Dixie Wixie. He shared a photo of his pooch on Instagram and captioned the post, “Hold your babies tight for me please. Today I lost my little Dixie Wixie.”
Trejo is known for appearing in films such as Desperate, Warm, From Dusk Till Dawn, With Air It is Once upon a time in Mexico. But he is best known for starring as Isador “Machete” Cortez in the films directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis Machete and its continuation, Kill with a machete.
The actor, who is also the face behind popular Los Angeles establishments Trejo’s Tacos and Trejo’s CantinaTrejo has been open about his sobriety and about going through a tough time in prison. He has been sober since 1968, just one year before his release from prison. Since then, Trejo has dedicated his life to serving others.
Trejo’s life story inspired Brett Harvey’s 2019 documentary. Two years later, Trejo released his memoir, Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood.
“All I can say is that the book was just a path to freedom, complete freedom, because we are only as sick as our secrets, that’s it,” he told ET in 2021. “All I did was let go of a lot of secrets that I had never discussed with anyone, my mother, my father, that kind of thing.”
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