Danny Trejo Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images
Danny Trejo broke his silence after he was involved in a fight at an Independence Day parade — saying that the incident was “so sad” and that he believes it was racially motivated.
“Honestly, I am so sad. I’m so sad that I behaved the way I behaved,” he shared in an interview with TMZ. “I’m so sad that grown men gotta throw water balloons to enjoy a day.”
The fight in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles started after a spectator hit Trejo’s vintage convertible with a water balloon. Trejo, 80, told the outlet that he only exited his car because an unnamed person yelled that the balloon was full of acid.
“I don’t think I would have even got out of the car if somebody hadn’t yelled ‘It’s acid.’ That’s when I panicked,” he said.
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Trejo said he was hit by another water balloon and confronted the parade goer who threw it. The Machete actor said that the man grabbed his shirt, leading to the fight.
“I got out of the car and then — boom — a balloon hit me and I looked up and I see a guy holding a [water balloon]. I go, ‘What in the hell is wrong with you?’” Trejo shared.
Trejo added that he believes the confrontation was racially motivated and that the spectators in question targeted Trejo’s car because he’s Mexican-American.
“I’m just sad that there’s still people from the ‘50s and ‘60s that still feel the same way. No one else was targeted,” he said.
That story seemed to be corroborated by a witness who spoke to ABC 7 Los Angeles.
“This parade is like a thing where you throw water balloons back and forth at each other,” Stanley Herrarte told the outlet. “The reason why Danny was so infuriated was because usually people don’t throw water balloons at fancy cars when they come by.”
Ultimately, Trejo is no worse for wear — which is certainly not a given when an 80-year-old gets in a fight.
“I’m alright. They couldn’t hurt me,” he said, smiling. “I would be embarrassed if I attacked an 80-year-old man and he’s still talking and laughing.”
Trejo certainly seems unbothered. He shared a video of himself dancing to “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Taco Grande” in a garage full of vintage cars via Instagram on Saturday, July 6. While he didn’t tag the business, Trejo operates Trejo’s Tacos, a taqueriaco chain with five locations in Los Angeles.
