Actor Danny Trejo Gets In Independence Day Parade Brawl

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Fourth of July Parade in Sunland-Tujunga went off the rails Thursday when its headliner, actor Danny Trejo, jumped out of his convertible and threw a punch and a chair after being hit in the head with a water balloon.

The convict-turned-movie star-turned-restauranteur stormed into the crowd to confront the ballon-thrower, and that's when he was struck with another balloon, a video posted to social media shows. Trejo threw the first punch, TMZ reported. During the melee, the 80-year-old actor was punched and knocked to the ground but got up swinging.

In the video, bystanders could be seen holding him back while onlookers scolded the brawlers, shouting "There are children here!"

Trejo had been billed as the main attraction in the community event themed "The Magic of Sunland-Tujunga."

The parade began at 10 a.m. and headed west on Foothill Boulevard from Mt. Gleason Avenue to Sunland Boulevard.

According to TMZ, which first reported the incident, Trejo was riding shotgun in a convertible when he was smacked upside the head with a water balloon. When he got out of the vehicle to confront the culprit, he got tagged again with another water balloon.

Trejo told TMZ the water balloon drama was "childish," and that the people who threw the balloons were "cowards" in their 30's or so.

"He was more like confronting. It wasn't like he went there to hit somebody," witness Arnie Abramiam told Fox11. "But then I think once he got hit, he was throwing punches."

Police were called to the scene, but the crowd had dispersed by the time they arrived.

The Los Angeles native appeared in the parade as a hometown hero, who rose to fame and prosperity but remained close to his roots.

He has been open about his troubled youth, which included several stays in juvenile hall and later state prisons, before cleaning himself up and embarking on a successful show business career.

His film career took off in the 90s when he made an impression as a hired killer in "Desperado." In quick succession, he played a series of tough guys in "Heat," "From Dusk till Dawn," "Con Air," "The Replacement Killers," "Reindeer Games" and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico."

Trejo is known for his role as gadget inventor Isador "Machete" Cortez in four "Spy Kids" films and a different version of the character in "Machete" and "Machete Kills." He is the owner of eight restaurants, including Trejo's Tacos and Trejo's Cantina.

City News Service contributed to this report.