Actor and Los Angeles native Danny Trejo was involved in a fight at an Independence Day Parade in L.A.’s Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood that was captured on video.
Witnesses say Trejo was riding in a vintage convertible when a paradegoer hurled a water balloon at him, which hit the vehicle and exploded.
Several videos shared on social media show Trejo, 80, getting out of the car while surrounded by children and parents, walking to the sidewalk, and throwing a left hook at a man who was standing under a tent.
The man fought back, knocking Trejo to the ground, but he quickly returned to his feet and attempted to hit someone with a folding chair.
The videos show several other people involved in the scuffle, and Trejo had to be restrained.
“There’s kids here! There’s kids here!” one person shouted. The situation remained tense for several minutes after fists stopped flying.
“[Trejo] pushed women out of the way to get to those guys,” Sunland-Tujunga resident James Spishak told The Los Angeles Times. “There were kids there. It could’ve gotten really ugly. It would’ve never happened if he stayed in the car.”
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the crowd had dispersed when officers arrived. No arrests were made, and no serious injuries were reported.
Trejo, who served prison time early in his life and often portrays tough guys in movies, including the “Machete” franchise, “From Dusk Till Dawn,” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” has parlayed his successful acting career into other fields.
In recent years, he has opened restaurants, a donut and coffee shop, launched a beer label and published a memoir, “Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood,” in 2021. He has also been recognized for his community service and is a frequent guest on KTLA 5 News.
In a conversation with TMZ, Trejo called the parade incident “childish” and said those who threw the water balloon at him were “cowards.”
KTLA reached out to Trejo’s management for comment but has not received a response.