Machete actor Danny Trejo got into a fight with Fourth of July parade attendees in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sunland-Tujunga on Thursday.
Videos from the scene show the 80-year-old exiting his vehicle after a water balloon hits the vintage convertible he was in before he threw a punch (as well as a lawn chair) and was briefly knocked to the ground.
People standing near the vehicle can be heard yelling “No water!” and Trejo says someone suggested there was acid in the balloons, which “provoked” him.
He told TMZ that he believes he was targeted because he’s Mexican, suggesting race had something to do with it. Trejo’s friend showed how banged up he was after the fight, sporting several large bruises and a black eye.
According to Los Angeles-area ABC7 Eyewitness News, the incident lasted around 10 minutes before police arrived and broke it up.
Before the fight broke out, Trejo’s car appeared stationary while he took selfies with attendees along the parade route.
While the initial videos of the brawl seemed to show Danny throwing the first punch, the actor says the guy he swung at had grabbed him first.
One witness told ABC7 that water balloons are common at that parade, but that Trejo seemed upset “because usually people don’t throw water balloons at fancy cars when they come by.”
Trejo says “it’s pretty sad grown men would stoop low enough to attack an 80-year-old man.”
The veteran actor celebrated his major birthday milestone back in May.
