Danny Trejo, an actor best known for his roles in the “Spy Kids” films and subsequent spin-off series “Machete” and “Machete Kills,” was involved in a physical altercation during the Fourth of July holiday.
The incident unfolded on July 4 as Mr. Trejo, 80, was taking part in an Independence Day parade in Sunland-Tujunga, a neighborhood located about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The parade’s route began at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Mount Gleason Avenue, heading down the former and ending at Sunland Park, per the Sunland/Tujunga/Shadow Hills Rotary Club, the organizers of the event.
During the procession, the actor—one of the event’s honorary guests—abruptly got out of the classic convertible he was riding in after being allegedly hit by a water balloon, per Fox 11.
According to footage obtained by the news station and other videos circulating online, Mr. Trejo appears to walk up to a man—presumably the person he believed had thrown the water-filled balloon—standing amid a group of people gathered on the sidewalk to watch the parade. The two men appear to swing at each other before Mr. Trejo stumbles backward and falls to the ground. He then appears to grab a lawn chair and hurl it toward the man as screams ring out in the crowd. A brawl ensues, and a woman can be seen attempting to restrain Mr. Trejo.
“Another water balloon was thrown at him and punches were thrown, people fell down, blood everywhere,” Arnie Abramyan, a local who was attending the event, told Fox 11.
Mr. Abramyan noted that Mr. Trejo’s friend, identified as Mario Castillo, allegedly got hit in the face. “They cut his eye open,” he said. In the footage, blood can be seen pouring down Mr. Castillo’s face and neck onto his white sleeveless undershirt.
“First, he was more like confronting. It wasn’t like he went there to hit somebody,” Mr. Abramyan purported, describing Mr. Trejo’s apparent behavior at the event. “But then I think once he got hit, he was throwing punches.”
Mr. Abramyan said he didn’t think Mr. Trejo was injured in the brawl, which reportedly lasted approximately 10 minutes. “He didn’t seem hurt,” he recalled. “I don’t think he was physically hurt. I think he was upset. He was angry.”
Stanley Herrarte, who also attended the parade, told ABC 7 that water balloons are common at that particular event.
“This parade is like a thing where you throw water balloons back and forth at each other,” he said, adding that, “usually people don’t throw water balloons at fancy cars when they come by.”
Police responded to the scene; however, no charges were filed, Fox 11 reported.
Danny Trejo Speaks Out
During an interview with Fox 11, aired July 5, Mr. Trejo said he responded the way that he did because he believed the car had been hit with a toxic chemical.“Somebody yelled, ‘It’s acid,’ and I [panicked],” he said. “I hate bullies, and that’s what bullies do.”
Mr. Castillo told the news station that he and Mr. Trejo were racially targeted. “We weren’t there to start no trouble; it was kinda like we’re just confronting the people that were throwing balloons. It was a grown man,” said Mr. Castillo.
“It’s sad that people can wake up in the morning and decide to go down and ruin something for everybody else,” Mr. Trejo noted. “I am a protector. I will protect all my friends, you know, always, and that’s what I was doing.”
Before the holiday event, Mr. Trejo took to social media to wish his fans and followers a joyous Independence Day celebration. “Have fun tonight but make sure to take care of your dogs! Happy #4thOfJuly!” he wrote on Instagram.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the actor’s representatives for comment, but a response was not received by press time.
Mr. Trejo has appeared in hundreds of movie and television roles over the course of his four-decade-long career, landing his breakthrough role in the 1985 action-thriller “Runaway Train,” according to his IMDb.
Mr. Trejo’s career took off in the ‘90s, with parts in “Femme Fatale” (1991), “Desperado” (1995), “Heat” (1995), “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996), “Con Air” (1997), “Point Blank” (1998), and “Inferno” (1999), among others.
In 2001, the actor landed the role of Isador “Machete” Cortez in the family action film series “Spy Kids,” which includes “Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams” (2002), “Spy Kids 3: Game Over” (2003), and “Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World” (2011). Mr. Trejo reprised his role in the spin-off films “Machete” (2010) and “Machete Kills” (2013).
In addition to his work on the screen, the entrepreneur is known for his array of Los Angeles-based restaurants and eateries, including Trejo’s Tacos and Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts.
